Review of the Knoxville Zoo
Knoxville Zoo | Knoxville Attractions
Knoxville Zoo is located in a somewhat hilly area east of Knoxville, Tennessee. At 53 acres, it is a small zoo, but it really packs a punch! The zoo's collection is average, with not many rarities; however, what makes this establishment stand out to me is the habitats. Most of them were built within the last 20 years, and some are among the best I've seen for a particular species.
Black Bear Falls - The first area, which opened in 2002, that visitors come across. The American black bears can be viewed from three different areas: An open area that gives a good view of when the bears are climbing; a large window that shows most of the land area and a sliver of underwater viewing; and an artificial log, which extends into the habitat, that visitors can walk in. This log has many glass holes for up close encounters, and one large window at the end of it. Honestly, when I first saw this area, I was confused. While the habitat consists of two pools (one of which has a waterfall), and has grass and dirt for digging, at the same time the land area didn't seem very big to me. What really surprised me was the great amount of climbing opportunities. Many rocks and artificial trees offer more stimulation than any other bear exhibit I've seen before! On my two visits to this area, only one bear took advantage of its climbing areas, while the others slept in their dens or up in the "trees." Despite mixed feelings, I would give Black Bear Falls a thumbs-up for coming up with something new in designing bear exhibits.
Red Panda Village - Knoxville Zoo is known for its excellent red panda breeding program. Over the last generation, more than 100 cubs were born, making Knoxville one of the best breeding programs for the species worldwide. The cute little critters have three different exhibits to explore - two outdoors and one indoor. The first outdoor habitat (where I saw a pair) is almost like a walkthrough habitat, with only a small fence acting as a barrier, and is a good-sized area filled with bamboo and branches to climb. I would say that this exhibit is the best of the three. The next exhibit is the indoor room, and is the weakest of the trio. Visitors look into a yellow-walled room with a woodchip-filled floor, and a single tree with more bamboo to chow on for the single red panda I saw in here. The second outdoor area is seen through mesh, and is of an average size. This exhibit is just as great as the first, with an enormous amount of bamboo, grass, and climbing areas for another single animal I saw. Next door, an aviary that is nearly identical to the second red panda habitat is home to white throated laughing thrush. Overall, I would say Red Panda Village (opened in 2007) is Knoxville's best exhibit complex.
White Rhino Exhibit - Across from the red pandas is another species that Knoxville is famous for breeding: the white rhinoceros. Two exhibits can be seen for the enormous creatures. The first is an above-average enclosure that has no grass to graze for the foursome I saw - but the large size, mud holes, logs, scrubland-like trees, and shade structure make up for it. The second, where only one rhino was located, is on the other side of the barn, and is a smaller, dusty area that can be seen through bars and across a moat.
Reptile Area - An awesome collection of the cold-blooded creatures lives in an area that consists of a house and some surrounding exhibits. Tortoise Territory, home to a variety of species like Aldabra, was closed due to the weather. The reptile house reminded me of San Diego's, where it was open, and visitors just looked into the tanks from the outside. For the most part, the tanks aren't very good with very little detail to them, and the viewing is poor, with very thick, curved glass that makes viewing difficult when the sun glares on it. Some outdoor exhibits for Gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard can be seen, but they too were off-exhibit due to the weather. Some other species include a juvenile Komodo dragon (in a small, all-indoor tank with mulch, branches, and Asian temple-like walls), Chinese alligators (in a decent all-indoor jungle-like environment), eastern diamondback rattlesnake, etc. The last area is a marsh environment dedicated to the conservation efforts of the bog turtle, which this zoo works with in a special reintroduction-to-the-wild program.
Penguin Rock - An all-indoor exhibit that has nothing but a small pool (and no underwater viewing), fake rockwork, and large viewing windows (the only good thing about this zone) for a trio of African Penguins. A poor exhibit for a popular animal if you ask me.
North and South American Exhibits - Nothing spectacular here, but nothing terrible either. The best part here is a prairie dog habitat, with plenty of dirt to dig, hay to gather, up-close viewing windows, and a tunnel with pop-up bubbles that goes through the middle of the decent exhibit. Behind the prairie dogs are a corn-crib cage for Scarlet macaws, an indoor enclosure for sloths, and an outdoor/indoor pair of enclosures for Geoffrey's marmosets that look very similar to the previously described Red Panda Village habitats. Down the path are two dusty pens for Chacoan peccaries and llamas.
Stokely African Elephant Preserve - Despite opening in 2002, I actually feel that this complex is one of the zoo's weaknesses. The set up is very well done, with African themed crates and boxes, informative signs about the current African elephant herd (a bull and two cows) and history of Knoxville's elephants, a display of an elephant skull, and two cool looking Baobab trees. However, the pair of exhibits is actually quite poor in my opinion. The bull's extremely tiny pen consists of a pool that was empty on my visit, a shade structure, a metal fence that separates it from the larger cow area, and a dirt substrate. The cows' environment is a little better, but still below average. Another empty pool, a fake Baobab tree, and more dirt are all the female elephants have. The indoor area isn't much better - it's just concrete and bars. The future elephant regulations call for zoos to have at least three female elephants or else. I believe I heard that Knoxville plans on shipping out Tonka (the bull) and combining the two exhibits to become home to a herd of older females.
Grasslands Africa - This complex consists of the African Elephant Preserve, some other animal enclosures, and the new Valley of the Kings (to be reviewed next). Generally the enclosures range from average to great, but some of them (mainly the hoofstock enclosures) suffer from the fact that the only way to view them is through cable fences. Across from the elephants are two exhibits: a dusty zebra pen that has an African hut for shade, and a decent meerkat habitat that has dirt and branches for looking out. Up next is a waterfowl pond, and a pair of grassy enclosures that can become one when the gate in between is opened. Giraffes, waterbuck, and Thomson's gazelle live here. Down the hill, a new tall exhibit with plenty of climbing structures for blue monkeys (a first for me) is seen. It isn't very natural, but it beats the next-door corn crib cage the monkeys used to live in. The last habitat is for African wild dogs, and is the highlight of Grasslands Africa. The cool carnivores can be seen through two nose-to-nose windows, and an overlook that gives a panoramic view of the outstanding habitat (which used to be home to cheetahs). It consists of lush grass, some trees, and an artificial termite mound.
Valley of the Kings - Knoxville Zoo's newest complex that opened in August 2012. The architecture is uniquely designed to give the area an Egyptian feel. Two outdoor exhibits and one indoor room are the homes of African lions and Hamadryas baboons. The baboons have an area that is completely enclosed with mesh, and has grass, a small hill, and logs arranged into a climbing structure. However, only two baboons were to be seen, and they were in the indoor room, which is in between the outdoor lion and baboon habitats. The lions (one male and three females) are located in a grassy exhibit with a few trees, an area set up for training demonstrations, and a shade structure. Overall, the Valley of the Kings is a new complex that is not quite fit for a king, but is still a nice addition to the zoo.
Asia Exhibits - A small area with only five enclosures. A white-naped crane exhibit with little detail is the first to be seen, followed by a white Bengal tiger chain-link pen that has a wooden platform for resting and nothing else, a larger chain-link enclosure that I assumed was also for the white tiger, a Malayan tiger exhibit with a small hill and some grass, and a white-cheeked gibbon mesh habitat that was the highlight of the area. This whole area will be redone into Tiger Forest, a new Malayan tiger habitat opening in 2014.
Chimp Ridge - An enormous habitat for chimpanzees that opened in 1999. So far, it is probably the best chimpanzee habitat I ever seen. The apes have rolling hills, grass, trees, a rocky climbing area, and a pool with a waterfall (which was empty). Despite the awesome outdoor home, the seven chimps I saw were all in the indoor room. The small room has ropes, hammocks, green walls, a wood platform, and a concrete floor.
Other Exhibits – A few bird exhibits are scattered throughout the zoo. On the path leading from the white rhinos to the reptiles, two aviaries can be seen – one decent one for kookaburras, and a slightly small one for a unique bird species called the red-legged seriema (another first). Next to the reptiles are four exhibits: a poor corn crib cage for ravens, a river otter habitat that was so-so in size, but above-average in quality, and two chain-link aviaries for Andean condors. Up the hill near Chimp Ridge is a so-so enclosure for red wolves that can be seen through mesh, and another cage that was waiting for new animals.
Note – Due to nearby construction and the introduction of a family group, Gorilla Valley was closed. However, I did manage to see just a sliver of the outdoor habitat through the foliage – it looked like a lush, hilly great exhibit from what I saw. Also, I could see two indoor rooms for the gorillas from the chimp area, with one gorilla in each.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Due to the brisk spring weather (a temperature of about 59 degrees Fahrenheit) many animals were out, and very active. Some that stood out were two red pandas that were exploring their habitat (the walkthrough one); two white rhinos lifting logs with their horns, and later a stand-off between the biggest and smallest of the rhinos; a female gibbon that was swinging all around her enclosure and even started singing and hollering for a while; and two very active otters, with one swimming many laps in its pond, and the other exploring the land area.
Overall: As I said before, the Knoxville Zoo may be small in size, and have a mid-sized collection, but it has a few standout complexes that are outstanding. Black Bear Falls, Red Panda Village, and the White Rhinos all form a powerful trio that make a good first impression on the establishment. The former two, along with Chimp Ridge are all among, if not, the best exhibits I’ve seen for their species, and most of the rest of the zoo ranges from average to above-average with only a few poor areas to address. If Tiger Forest and any other future projects are built on the same scale as the previous ones, then I see a bright future for the Knoxville Zoo. I don’t know exactly where I’d rank this zoo, but it probably would be somewhere in middle of the pack.
I will be posting some photos soon.
Knoxville Zoo | Knoxville Attractions
Knoxville Zoo is located in a somewhat hilly area east of Knoxville, Tennessee. At 53 acres, it is a small zoo, but it really packs a punch! The zoo's collection is average, with not many rarities; however, what makes this establishment stand out to me is the habitats. Most of them were built within the last 20 years, and some are among the best I've seen for a particular species.
Black Bear Falls - The first area, which opened in 2002, that visitors come across. The American black bears can be viewed from three different areas: An open area that gives a good view of when the bears are climbing; a large window that shows most of the land area and a sliver of underwater viewing; and an artificial log, which extends into the habitat, that visitors can walk in. This log has many glass holes for up close encounters, and one large window at the end of it. Honestly, when I first saw this area, I was confused. While the habitat consists of two pools (one of which has a waterfall), and has grass and dirt for digging, at the same time the land area didn't seem very big to me. What really surprised me was the great amount of climbing opportunities. Many rocks and artificial trees offer more stimulation than any other bear exhibit I've seen before! On my two visits to this area, only one bear took advantage of its climbing areas, while the others slept in their dens or up in the "trees." Despite mixed feelings, I would give Black Bear Falls a thumbs-up for coming up with something new in designing bear exhibits.
Red Panda Village - Knoxville Zoo is known for its excellent red panda breeding program. Over the last generation, more than 100 cubs were born, making Knoxville one of the best breeding programs for the species worldwide. The cute little critters have three different exhibits to explore - two outdoors and one indoor. The first outdoor habitat (where I saw a pair) is almost like a walkthrough habitat, with only a small fence acting as a barrier, and is a good-sized area filled with bamboo and branches to climb. I would say that this exhibit is the best of the three. The next exhibit is the indoor room, and is the weakest of the trio. Visitors look into a yellow-walled room with a woodchip-filled floor, and a single tree with more bamboo to chow on for the single red panda I saw in here. The second outdoor area is seen through mesh, and is of an average size. This exhibit is just as great as the first, with an enormous amount of bamboo, grass, and climbing areas for another single animal I saw. Next door, an aviary that is nearly identical to the second red panda habitat is home to white throated laughing thrush. Overall, I would say Red Panda Village (opened in 2007) is Knoxville's best exhibit complex.
White Rhino Exhibit - Across from the red pandas is another species that Knoxville is famous for breeding: the white rhinoceros. Two exhibits can be seen for the enormous creatures. The first is an above-average enclosure that has no grass to graze for the foursome I saw - but the large size, mud holes, logs, scrubland-like trees, and shade structure make up for it. The second, where only one rhino was located, is on the other side of the barn, and is a smaller, dusty area that can be seen through bars and across a moat.
Reptile Area - An awesome collection of the cold-blooded creatures lives in an area that consists of a house and some surrounding exhibits. Tortoise Territory, home to a variety of species like Aldabra, was closed due to the weather. The reptile house reminded me of San Diego's, where it was open, and visitors just looked into the tanks from the outside. For the most part, the tanks aren't very good with very little detail to them, and the viewing is poor, with very thick, curved glass that makes viewing difficult when the sun glares on it. Some outdoor exhibits for Gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard can be seen, but they too were off-exhibit due to the weather. Some other species include a juvenile Komodo dragon (in a small, all-indoor tank with mulch, branches, and Asian temple-like walls), Chinese alligators (in a decent all-indoor jungle-like environment), eastern diamondback rattlesnake, etc. The last area is a marsh environment dedicated to the conservation efforts of the bog turtle, which this zoo works with in a special reintroduction-to-the-wild program.
Penguin Rock - An all-indoor exhibit that has nothing but a small pool (and no underwater viewing), fake rockwork, and large viewing windows (the only good thing about this zone) for a trio of African Penguins. A poor exhibit for a popular animal if you ask me.
North and South American Exhibits - Nothing spectacular here, but nothing terrible either. The best part here is a prairie dog habitat, with plenty of dirt to dig, hay to gather, up-close viewing windows, and a tunnel with pop-up bubbles that goes through the middle of the decent exhibit. Behind the prairie dogs are a corn-crib cage for Scarlet macaws, an indoor enclosure for sloths, and an outdoor/indoor pair of enclosures for Geoffrey's marmosets that look very similar to the previously described Red Panda Village habitats. Down the path are two dusty pens for Chacoan peccaries and llamas.
Stokely African Elephant Preserve - Despite opening in 2002, I actually feel that this complex is one of the zoo's weaknesses. The set up is very well done, with African themed crates and boxes, informative signs about the current African elephant herd (a bull and two cows) and history of Knoxville's elephants, a display of an elephant skull, and two cool looking Baobab trees. However, the pair of exhibits is actually quite poor in my opinion. The bull's extremely tiny pen consists of a pool that was empty on my visit, a shade structure, a metal fence that separates it from the larger cow area, and a dirt substrate. The cows' environment is a little better, but still below average. Another empty pool, a fake Baobab tree, and more dirt are all the female elephants have. The indoor area isn't much better - it's just concrete and bars. The future elephant regulations call for zoos to have at least three female elephants or else. I believe I heard that Knoxville plans on shipping out Tonka (the bull) and combining the two exhibits to become home to a herd of older females.
Grasslands Africa - This complex consists of the African Elephant Preserve, some other animal enclosures, and the new Valley of the Kings (to be reviewed next). Generally the enclosures range from average to great, but some of them (mainly the hoofstock enclosures) suffer from the fact that the only way to view them is through cable fences. Across from the elephants are two exhibits: a dusty zebra pen that has an African hut for shade, and a decent meerkat habitat that has dirt and branches for looking out. Up next is a waterfowl pond, and a pair of grassy enclosures that can become one when the gate in between is opened. Giraffes, waterbuck, and Thomson's gazelle live here. Down the hill, a new tall exhibit with plenty of climbing structures for blue monkeys (a first for me) is seen. It isn't very natural, but it beats the next-door corn crib cage the monkeys used to live in. The last habitat is for African wild dogs, and is the highlight of Grasslands Africa. The cool carnivores can be seen through two nose-to-nose windows, and an overlook that gives a panoramic view of the outstanding habitat (which used to be home to cheetahs). It consists of lush grass, some trees, and an artificial termite mound.
Valley of the Kings - Knoxville Zoo's newest complex that opened in August 2012. The architecture is uniquely designed to give the area an Egyptian feel. Two outdoor exhibits and one indoor room are the homes of African lions and Hamadryas baboons. The baboons have an area that is completely enclosed with mesh, and has grass, a small hill, and logs arranged into a climbing structure. However, only two baboons were to be seen, and they were in the indoor room, which is in between the outdoor lion and baboon habitats. The lions (one male and three females) are located in a grassy exhibit with a few trees, an area set up for training demonstrations, and a shade structure. Overall, the Valley of the Kings is a new complex that is not quite fit for a king, but is still a nice addition to the zoo.
Asia Exhibits - A small area with only five enclosures. A white-naped crane exhibit with little detail is the first to be seen, followed by a white Bengal tiger chain-link pen that has a wooden platform for resting and nothing else, a larger chain-link enclosure that I assumed was also for the white tiger, a Malayan tiger exhibit with a small hill and some grass, and a white-cheeked gibbon mesh habitat that was the highlight of the area. This whole area will be redone into Tiger Forest, a new Malayan tiger habitat opening in 2014.
Chimp Ridge - An enormous habitat for chimpanzees that opened in 1999. So far, it is probably the best chimpanzee habitat I ever seen. The apes have rolling hills, grass, trees, a rocky climbing area, and a pool with a waterfall (which was empty). Despite the awesome outdoor home, the seven chimps I saw were all in the indoor room. The small room has ropes, hammocks, green walls, a wood platform, and a concrete floor.
Other Exhibits – A few bird exhibits are scattered throughout the zoo. On the path leading from the white rhinos to the reptiles, two aviaries can be seen – one decent one for kookaburras, and a slightly small one for a unique bird species called the red-legged seriema (another first). Next to the reptiles are four exhibits: a poor corn crib cage for ravens, a river otter habitat that was so-so in size, but above-average in quality, and two chain-link aviaries for Andean condors. Up the hill near Chimp Ridge is a so-so enclosure for red wolves that can be seen through mesh, and another cage that was waiting for new animals.
Note – Due to nearby construction and the introduction of a family group, Gorilla Valley was closed. However, I did manage to see just a sliver of the outdoor habitat through the foliage – it looked like a lush, hilly great exhibit from what I saw. Also, I could see two indoor rooms for the gorillas from the chimp area, with one gorilla in each.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Due to the brisk spring weather (a temperature of about 59 degrees Fahrenheit) many animals were out, and very active. Some that stood out were two red pandas that were exploring their habitat (the walkthrough one); two white rhinos lifting logs with their horns, and later a stand-off between the biggest and smallest of the rhinos; a female gibbon that was swinging all around her enclosure and even started singing and hollering for a while; and two very active otters, with one swimming many laps in its pond, and the other exploring the land area.
Overall: As I said before, the Knoxville Zoo may be small in size, and have a mid-sized collection, but it has a few standout complexes that are outstanding. Black Bear Falls, Red Panda Village, and the White Rhinos all form a powerful trio that make a good first impression on the establishment. The former two, along with Chimp Ridge are all among, if not, the best exhibits I’ve seen for their species, and most of the rest of the zoo ranges from average to above-average with only a few poor areas to address. If Tiger Forest and any other future projects are built on the same scale as the previous ones, then I see a bright future for the Knoxville Zoo. I don’t know exactly where I’d rank this zoo, but it probably would be somewhere in middle of the pack.
I will be posting some photos soon.
