Nashville Zoo Nashville Zoo News

ThylacineAlive said:
having various aquaria displays, and the zoo's flow is very broken up. There really isn't all that much to the zoo at the moment and I counted four separate dead end paths, all of which are at the top of the hill. I really didn't enjoy hiking up the hill to find that I need to turn around the go back down to do the exact same thing again 10 minutes down the path. It's especially bizarre to me that the zoo's African exhibit does this twice, especially when there is a path that connects the two areas but it's keepers only. Aside from that I'd say it's also a little annoying that the zoo leads the country in breeding programs for Clouded Leopard, Giant Anteater, and Great Blue Turaco and is the only breeder of Palawan Binturong, Banded Civet, and Central American Galliwasp yet only the first of all of those species is exhibited.
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Remember that this is a relatively young zoo. Attendance has grown so fast that they have had to turn their attention (and funds) to parking, ticketing, etc. and could not undertake too many construction projects at the same time. There have been huge traffic back-ups because a couple of years ago the zoo could not get visitors in fast enough.

The dead ends are the result of Master Planning. They will connect to future expansion when those new projects are undertaken. This is a great way to compare a young growing zoo to an old established one (Bronx, Brookfield, Cleveland, etc.)
 
Zooplantman said:
Remember that this is a relatively young zoo. Attendance has grown so fast that they have had to turn their attention (and funds) to parking, ticketing, etc. and could not undertake too many construction projects at the same time. There have been huge traffic back-ups because a couple of years ago the zoo could not get visitors in fast enough.

The dead ends are the result of Master Planning. They will connect to future expansion when those new projects are undertaken. This is a great way to compare a young growing zoo to an old established one (Bronx, Brookfield, Cleveland, etc.)
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Yes of course, and I figured there would be further African expansion in the future. I still think it is a valid criticism for the zoo in its current state, though. My criticisms are more nitpicks than anything, and I stand by my prediction that this zoo will be a major contender for the best in the country once the master plan is developed a bit more. It's already my third favorite I've seen in the country.

~Thylo
 
@ThylacineAlive Thanks for posting your mini-review and I would agree with your assessment. Unseen New World is a fantastic Reptile House (plus the side aviary) and the entire zoo is excellent. The enormous playground wouldn't apply to you but as a dad of 4 kids I would love to have Nashville Zoo nearby so that my youngsters would have a world-class play area to frolic in after seeing the animals.

However, I think that Nashville still has a long way to go before being cast amidst the truly great zoological institutions of the United States. Nashville is basically a half-day zoo and so most zoo enthusiasts, given the chance, would consistently choose a major establishment (San Diego, Omaha, Bronx, Saint Louis, North Carolina, etc.) as a 'local zoo' rather than Nashville as the species and exhibits are extremely limited there. It's a wonderful mid-sized zoo, but in another decade then hopefully it will have added a number of fantastic new animal habitats and as you say it could well be a major facility.

Of note, in regards to the Clouded Leopard breeding program, is that Tanganyika Wildlife Park (ZAA-accredited) has produced more than 80 of those cats and is far and away the breeding epicenter of the species in North America.
 
To be fair the massive playground did strike interest in the young child in me :p

I also enjoyed that the petting zoo area had some exotic bird aviaries along the border. I also like it when throw in oddball species in areas that wouldn't other interest zoo nerds or many adults in general.

~Thylo
 
NVP said:
The zoo announced via Twitter that Winsol, the aardvark from the Cincinnati Zoo, is now a part of their ambassador animal program.
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I saw them preparing his holding in the vet building on Saturday. I didn't realize he was a new arrival.

~Thylo
 
Kudu21 said:
The zoo's male white rhinoceros, "The Cheetah", was introduced to the outdoor yard for the first time today. He will be introduced to the four females over the next couple of weeks before they are all on exhibit together.
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He is as yet way toooo young to breed. It would take some 3-4 years at least
 
snowleopard said:
@ThylacineAlive Thanks for posting your mini-review and I would agree with your assessment. Unseen New World is a fantastic Reptile House (plus the side aviary) and the entire zoo is excellent. The enormous playground wouldn't apply to you but as a dad of 4 kids I would love to have Nashville Zoo nearby so that my youngsters would have a world-class play area to frolic in after seeing the animals.

However, I think that Nashville still has a long way to go before being cast amidst the truly great zoological institutions of the United States. Nashville is basically a half-day zoo and so most zoo enthusiasts, given the chance, would consistently choose a major establishment (San Diego, Omaha, Bronx, Saint Louis, North Carolina, etc.) as a 'local zoo' rather than Nashville as the species and exhibits are extremely limited there. It's a wonderful mid-sized zoo, but in another decade then hopefully it will have added a number of fantastic new animal habitats and as you say it could well be a major facility.

Of note, in regards to the Clouded Leopard breeding program, is that Tanganyika Wildlife Park (ZAA-accredited) has produced more than 80 of those cats and is far and away the breeding epicenter of the species in North America.
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Agreed. I visited last summer and I really enjoyed this zoo and we also did a great behind the scenes tour, but it is way too small to be close to one of the best zoos imo.
 
Arizona Docent said:
I didn't even know they had caracals. They didn't the two times I visited (but it's been several years).
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Like a lot of their animals a zoo enthusiast would love to see on display (okapi, anteater, aardvark, bongo (?)), they're off display I'm guessing. Judging from what they've done with their clouded leopard cubs, they'll be hand reared and on display temporarily in the ambassador building.
 
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