Nashville Zoo
Our Latest Posts
Category: Conservation
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Friday, February 1, 2019
The Rainforest Only Has One Chance
Deep in the Amazon, located outside the small town of Iquitos, Peru, far from electricity, wifi, air conditioning and even warm showers, stands the Rainforest Awareness Rescue and Education Center (RAREC). Its mission, as its founder and president John Garnica puts it, is simple.
“Education is the key to lasting change,” Garnica said. “We want to work with the locals, and provide them with the tools they need to support themselves in an ecologically responsible manner, to p...
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Monday, September 10, 2018
Zoo partners with Harpeth Conservancy to showcase importance of local river
Nashville Zoo and the Harpeth Conservancy partnered through Lessons on the Harpeth to bring awareness to the importance of waterways to the Nashville community.
“As a science-based organization, sometimes the science can get in a whirlpool behind the scenes, and it can be hard to communicate everything that we’re doing,” said Molly Warner with the Harpeth Conservancy. “This is a good chance to be able to connect with the public and show them a little bit of what we&rs...
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Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Nashville Zoo Successfully Breeds Rare Species
UPDATE:
Nashville Zoo welcomed one more Central American giant galliwasp (Diploglossus monotropis) born in August 2018. This is the second successful birth of this species at Nashville Zoo.
This species is infamously difficult to breed. Once the females lay the eggs, they go into hiding for about four months until the babies are hatched. In that time, keepers refrain from checking on them, in case the mother becomes startled and defensively eats the eggs, so predators do not eat the eg...
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Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Nashville Zoo Keepers Use Disguising Techniques to Feed Snowy Owl Chicks
Nashville Zoo welcomed two snowy owls on July 13 and July 15. These owls are the first raptors to be hatched at Nashville Zoo since the Zoo was located in Joelton, TN back in the 1990s.
Unlike other animals, such as our clouded leopards, where working with their keepers from an early age helps them become more comfortable with humans later in life, some species of birds, including snowy owls, have the reverse reaction to working closely with humans as chicks.
“Baby birds can become &#...
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Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Herpetology Team Sends Puerto Rican Crested Toad Tadpoles to Bolster Wild Population
Nashville Zoo recently sent its fifth group of Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles to Puerto Rico for reintroduction at different parts of the island, as part of the Puerto Rican Crested Toad Species Survival Plan (SSP). These tadpoles are helping to bolster the population size of the federally endangered Puerto Rican crested toad in its native habitat.
The 958 tadpoles produced at Nashville Zoo will be released in Puerto Rico at the same time as tadpoles produced at other zoos and aqua...
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Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Nashville Zoo Keeper First International Volunteer at Bongo Surveillance Project
After working with bongo for most of her keeper career, Nikole Edmunds, Nashville Zoo Hoofstock Keeper, traveled to Africa to work with them in the wild.
Edmunds is the first international volunteer to ever work with the Bongo Surveillance Project, BSP, the only organization in Kenya specifically monitoring the critically endangered Mountain or “Eastern” Bongo in the wild. The BSP’s mission is to educate the public, specifically local Kenyans, about how to protect bongos, a...
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Friday, March 30, 2018
Nashville Zoo Veterinarian Travels to Africa to help protect highly-poached animals
Dr. Heather Robertson, DVM ventured across continents to South Africa in November 2017 to the Thanda Safari Reserve where she was able to assist in the process of protecting highly-poached animals, such as the South African elephant and South African white rhinoceros.
While the Southern white rhino is the least endangered of the living rhino species with 21,077 remaining in the wild, they are listed as near threatened due to habitat loss and illegal poaching. In South Africa alone, poachers ...
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Female Clouded Leopard Cub Born at Nashville Zoo
Nashville Zoo is pleased to announce the birth of a female clouded leopard, Neofelis nebulosa, on Monday, February 19.
This is the sixth litter for eight-year-old parents Lom Choy, mother, and Luk, father. The couple have been paired for mating since they were one year old and have been having litters since 2011. Their newest cub weighed about 188 grams at birth. With the addition of this cub, the Zoo is now home to nine clouded leopards. Nashville Zoo has had 32 clouded leopards born s...
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Monday, January 22, 2018
UPDATED: Saddle-billed stork eggs not viable, the saga continues
The typical incubation for saddle-billed stork eggs averages about 31 days. We gave our saddle-billed storks an extra week of incubating beyond their due date before deciding to remove the eggs from the nest. This was done to ensure that they were not delayed in their development causing them to hatch later than expected. Earlier this week keeper staff finally removed the overdue eggs from the nest. The parents were not pleased at first, but quickly adjusted to the freedom of no longer needin...
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Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Nashville Zoo Keeper Travels to South Africa to Help Endangered Penguins
In late November, Alison Day, Ambassador Animal Keeper, traveled 8,300 miles to Cape Town, South Africa, to volunteer at the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). As part of SANCCOB’s keeper exchange program, Day was able to care for the close to 200 birds at the facility and rehabilitate them, so they were prepared to return to their colonies.
SANCCOB is a registered non-profit organization whose primary objective is to reverse the decline of seabir...
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Friday, December 1, 2017
Get Involved with the Great Backyard Bird Count
Are you interested in helping birds? Get involved in the 20th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count. The Great Backyard Bird Count is citizen science project where people from around the world count birds for at least 15 minutes a day from Feb. 16-19. You can count birds from anywhere; the warmth of your home, walking, or your nearest park. This data is submitted online to researchers who use it to assist in tracking bird migrations and getting population counts of different species. Scient...
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Friday, October 20, 2017
Be Sweet to Orangutans This Halloween!
We are setting the scene for this year’s popular Boo at the Zoo celebration which includes more than three tons of sweet treats for kids. From to M&M’s to Tootsie Roll Pops, this year’s candy offerings have more in common than high sugar levels - they are all made using sustainable palm oil. The Zoo is proud to continue our commitment to saving wildlife by only offering candy made with sustainable palm oil. Why is this important? Read below.
What is Palm Oil?
Palm oi...
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Monday, July 24, 2017
Red Ruffed Lemur Family Now on Exhibit at Nashville Zoo
(Blog update on July 25, 2017)
Guests visiting Nashville Zoo can now see the four red ruffed lemur babies born on May 30, 2017. The two month old lemurs have joined their parents Lyra and Dino and three older siblings on exhibit along Bamboo Trail.
“The four babies are hopping around and playing with each other a lot as they explore and climb in their exhibit, said Sabrina Barnes, Primate Area Supervisor. “Thalia and Calliope, the one-year-old sisters, have really started intera...
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Friday, June 30, 2017
Behind-the-scenes: Rhinoceros Hornbill Breeding
The Rhinoceros Hornbill is one of 54 species of hornbills that exist. It can be distinguished by its banana-shaped casque on the top of its beak. The casque is made out of keratin, like our fingernails, and is very strong and lightweight.
The Rhinoceros Hornbill faces many challenges which pose serious threats on the species. Along with the global issue of deforestation resulting in a loss of habitat, these birds are hunted as food, and ornaments are made out of their casques and feathers....
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Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Conservation Lounge Helps Save 5,000 acres for Rainforest Trust
Brew at the Zoo presented by M.L. Rose, Nashville Zoo’s annual beer festival event, took place on a beautiful evening in June. Guests enjoyed some of Nashville's best breweries, animal encounters, live music, food and festivities! Brew attendees also got to meet the historic clouded leopard cub, Niran, learn about protecting the last great forests of Northern Borneo at the Conservation Lounge, and drank among the flamingos around Jungle Loop.
This year's Conservation Lounge pro...
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Monday, June 19, 2017
Nashville Zoo Participates in Giraffe Conservation in Uganda
In March, Nashville Zoo hoofstock keeper, Stephanie Edling, journeyed alongside Julian Fennessy, the cofounder and co-director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, to conduct field work and gather information on inbreeding, collect DNA samples and test new GPS collars on Rothschild’s giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in the Kidepo Valley National Park in Uganda.
The week consisted of exploring three different routes to locate giraffes. Stephanie’s team was responsible f...
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Friday, June 2, 2017
It's Spawning Season for Zoo's Koi Fish
One of the Zoo’s most beautiful exhibits is one that most guests don’t notice on initial glance. The Zoo is home to a group of stunning koi fish that swim among the ponds that weave throughout Bamboo Trail. Known for their beautiful markings and calm demeanor, koi fish typically get along very well with little to no competitiveness or aggression toward each other. However, over the last few weeks, our group of koi were making it a little bit harder to go unnoticed with swift ...
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Thursday, May 4, 2017
What's the Difference Between Turtles and Tortoises?
Did you know that tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises? Most people use the term “turtle” to reference any reptile with a shell on its back, but there’s several differences between these two unique creatures.
World Turtle Day® is on May 23, and the Zoo is excited to raise awareness and share ways we all can enhance the conservation of turtles and tortoises. In order to help this animal, it’s important to know the difference between these shelle...
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Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Nashville Zoo & Smithsonian Make History with Birth of Clouded Leopard
Update: Clouded Leopard has a name!
Nashville Zoo is pleased to announce the name of the clouded leopard cub born on March 1. Our partners at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, Dr. Adrienne Crosier and Dr. Pierre Comizzoli, were given the opportunity to name the historic cub and have chosen the Thai name, Niran (pronounced Nee-ron), which means eternal and everlasting. Niran opened his eyes just in time for Spring and has nearly tripled in size.
Birth Announ...
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Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Nashville Zoo + Cumberland River Compact Forge Ahead with Stormwater Management Project
The Nashville Crayfish and other aquatic species have new habitats to explore! Nashville Zoo, in collaboration with the Cumberland River Compact, Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, and KCI Technologies Inc., removed two dams on Cathy Jo Branch.
“There is a large drive by biologists, NGO’s along with Federal and state wildlife agencies to remove non-essential dams. Dam removal allows for the migration of aquatic species which were previously blocked by dams within a watersh...
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Friday, February 17, 2017
Fifth Masai Giraffe Born at Nashville Zoo
Nashville Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a male Masai giraffe. The calf was born February 10, weighing 163 lbs. and standing 6 feet, 3 inches tall. Mother, Margarita and calf are doing well and are currently off exhibit in the Zoo’s giraffe barn. This is Margarita’s fifth calf and second male to be born at the Zoo.
“Margarita is a proven and successful mom for her calves, and this calf was no exception,” said Greg Peccie, Director of Animal Operations. “O...
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Sunday, December 4, 2016
Nashville Zoo Supports Conservation Efforts in Southern Africa
One of the biggest threats to animals worldwide comes as a byproduct of the desire to put food on the table for many impoverished families. Wire snares are set along animal paths in the hopes of trapping a meal or catching an animal to be sold in the black market. Unfortunately, these wire nooses are indiscriminate so any animal (wild or domesticated) is capable of getting caught in the trap. However, local residents in South Africa are now learning that snare wire can be used as an alternati...
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Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Endangered Yellow Blotched Map Turtles Hatch at Nashville Zoo
Nashville Zoo is excited to announce the hatching of four endangered yellow-blotched map turtles. This hatching ranks Nashville Zoo as the third AZA institution to ever successfully breed these beautifully patterned turtles.
“This is an exciting hatching for the yellow-blotched map turtle and for the Zoo,” says Dale McGinnity, Nashville Zoo’s Ectotherm Curator. “We are bringing awareness to the community about this threatened species and hope to increase support...
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Monday, November 14, 2016
Nashville Zoo Heads to South America!
(Update as of December 20, 2016)
Zookeeper, Pujita, returned from her two week excursion in the Pantanal at the end of November. Between the early mornings and South American heat, Pujita and the team were able to successfully collect data from four anteater recaptures and two giant armadillo recaptures (the capture of animals that have already been collared).
Pujita recalls her first time seeing an anteater in the wild, procedures and processes f...
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Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Nashville Zoo Receives International Award for Gorilla Conservation
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the primary accrediting body for top zoos and aquariums in the United States, awarded Nashville Zoo the 2016 International Conservation Award for their work with the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) benefiting Grauer’s gorillas.
The annual award recognizes exceptional efforts toward regional habitat preservation, species restoration, and support of biodiversity in the ...
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Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Special Delivery! 30 Hatchling Alligator Snapping Turtles Land in Nashville
Nashville Zoo Receives Grant to Help Save the Alligator Snapping Turtles
Nashville Zoo is excited to share recent conservation news regarding field work and research for a species right here in Tennessee… the evolutionarily distinct, alligator snapping turtle.
Often confused with the common snapping turtle which thrives in waterways all across Tennessee, the prehistoric-looking alligator snapping turtle is most easily distinguished by three large ridges along the back of its shell an...
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Monday, September 19, 2016
Celebrate World Rhino Day on September 22
As Nashville Zoo prepares for the upcoming opening of the new white rhino exhibit, we also celebrate and recognize World Rhino Day! Later this year, we will welcome a pair of male white rhinos into the former elephant habitat. In the future, the Zoo plans to import a group of female white rhinos with plans to breed the group as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.
Nashville Zoo rhino conservation efforts extend beyond our participation in AZA&rsqu...
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Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Brew at the Zoo brings in $10,000 for conservation!
Brew at the Zoo presented by M.L. Rose, Nashville Zoo’s annual beer festival event, took place on a rainy night in June. The weather did not stop hundreds of guests from joining in on the fun, food and festivities. Guests enjoyed some of Nashville's best breweries decked out in animal themed ponchos. Despite the heavy downpours, Brew guests enjoyed delicious food from some of Nashville's best food trucks, danced on Festival Field with live entertainment, learned about the c...
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Wednesday, June 1, 2016
CUTE ALERT: Three Red Ruffed Lemur Babies Born at Nashville Zoo
Update - Red ruffed lemur family goes back on exhibit!
Zoo guests now have the chance to meet the three young red ruffed lemurs born on May 24, 2016. Parents, Lyra and Dino, can be seen back on exhibit with their three babies. The four month old trio excitedly jumped through trees and played among the ropes as they explored their outdoor home. As of now, guests can see the lemur family on exhibit for part of the day. Once keepers feel comfortable and the lemurs have adapted t...
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Friday, May 20, 2016
Cassowary Introductions: Sy meets Marge!
The Nashville Zoo bird department anxiously anticipated and planned the introduction of our adult female and male Double Wattled Cassowaries. In 2011 the Zoo acquired a young male, Sy, and the female, Marge, arrived at the end of 2014. Over the last year these birds have grown up in adjoining exhibits allowing them to familiarize themselves with each other in hopes that they would become a breeding pair.
Double Wattled Cassowary Breeding
Double Wattled Cassowary are typically solitary anima...
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Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Spring Births at the Zoo!
TWO FEMALE PALAWAN BINTURONGS BORN MARCH 7
Our second pair of Palawan binturongs finally had their cubs in early March! This is the second set of pups born here at Nashville Zoo and we are the only AZA accredited zoo breeding this species. We currently have a total of 7 Palawan binturongs in our collection: two mating pairs, a male who is part of our Ambassador Animal program and these two pups.
While one of the sister pups has already been picked up by Columbus Zoo’s ...
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Tuesday, March 15, 2016
What is Animal Enrichment?
"When an animal is under human care, we have removed an exquisitely adapted organism from the environment that shaped it over countless years. Stimulating their minds and activity levels allows us, in some small way, to give them back what has been lost in this transition." -Chris Jenkins CPBT-KA
There’s a lot more that goes into being a zoo keeper than shoveling poop and feeding animals. Keepers spend time studying animals so they can give them the best life possible here ...
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Friday, February 19, 2016
Who Speaks for the Trees? Musicians Do!
Trees do so much for us, making life healthier and better in many ways. But trees can’t tell us what they do for us and why we should care.
With a little help from our musical friends, Nashville Zoo and The Nature Conservancy launched “If Trees Could Sing"- an innovative tree education program at the Zoo.
Through the program, 12 colorful tree signs have been installed in two areas at Nashville Zoo. Each sign not only identifies the tree, but also includes the photograph of a...
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Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Historic Hellbender Hatches
It may not look like much but this larval hellbender is the result of a decade of work by Nashville Zoo Ectotherm Curator Dale McGinnity and a team of experts. Additionally, this little salamander represents a giant step in the survival of amphibians around the world.
First Hellbender Externally Fertilized with Cryopreserved Sperm
On October 11, 2015, the Zoo was successful in hatching an eastern hellbender that was the result of an egg being artificially fertilized with cryopreserved sperm...
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Monday, December 28, 2015
Significant Births at Nashville Zoo
Two Male Palawan Binturongs Born November 7
Nashville Zoo is proud to announce the birth of two male Palawan binturongs born Nov. 7. The pair named Wilbur and Templeton were a very special addition as they are the first of their subspecies to be born in the United States.
The Palawan binturong (Arctictis binturong whitei) is a smaller subspecies of binturong (also known as bearcat) only reaching around 40 pounds. While they aren’t considered endangered, they are classified as vuln...
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Monday, December 14, 2015
Zoo Green Sweep Recap
On December 2, 2015, Zoo employees and volunteers took to the streets – and the sidewalks, zoo paths, and behind-the-scenes areas – to spruce up the Zoo and its surrounding neighborhood.
Over 50 people participated for a 5 hour stretch of time spent bending, lifting, and hauling trash. It was a great way to work off some of those Thanksgiving calories, and a means to give back to the surrounding community. Areas cleaned up included Nolensville Pike (which borders the Zoo on the east), Elysian...
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Friday, May 15, 2015
Tadpoles Go Home
Nashville Zoo Sends Puerto Rican Crested Toads back to Puerto Rico for reintroduction in the wild
Earlier this month, Nashville Zoo shipped 1,072 Puerto Rican Crested Toad tadpoles back to Puerto Rico for reintroduction in the Guanica Natural Habitat. Since 2012, the Zoo has shipped over 11,000 tadpoles for reintroduction as part of a coordinated reintroduction program for this critically endangered species.
Each tadpole shipment requires months of coordination and planning. On the day of s...
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Friday, May 1, 2015
ML Rose's "ANM.L." burger to support Pallas cat conservation
Our Brew at the Zoo title sponsor, M.L. Rose Craft Beer & Burgers, is celebrating May with a special burger of the month. M.L. Rose will donate $1 for every ANM.L. Burger sold to support Nashville Zoo’s conservation efforts with the Pallas cat.
The ANM.L. burger promotion is available at both M.L. Rose locations throughout May. For more information, visit www.mlrose.com.
The Pallas cat is a small feline species with a wide but disconnected range stretching from Iran through the Mideast ...
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Monday, April 27, 2015
Seafood Watch
Spring time means it is grilling time! Do you know what fish you’re eating?
The high demand for seafood affects fish and marine life worldwide. Habitat destruction and overfishing are causing a significant population decline and wrecking our ecosystems. The choices we make as consumers drive the seafood marketplace. Your purchasing power can make a difference by supporting those fisheries and fish farms that are better for the environment, while at the same time relieving pressure on o...
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Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Ape Awareness Month: Why We Love Lesser Apes!
Why are small apes just as cool as great apes?
Lesser apes refers only to size. Where great apes range from 85-lb. bonobos to 450-lb. gorillas, lesser apes range from 10 to 30 pounds.
All ape species are long lived with average lifespans ranging from 30 to 50 years. Gibbons are the only apes that are monogamous. Pairs will sing daily duets with males and females synching their vocalizations to help reinforce their bond and claim territory as theirs. The throat sac of the siamang (a type o...
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Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Wrangle Your Own Weeds
We’ve wrapped up our first Weed Wrangle – but the work is not done.
Invasive plants are all over Tennessee and can most likely be found in your own backyard. Do your part to curb the growth of weeds that negatively impacted our ecosystem and wreak havoc on native plants and animals.
Helpful Tips
Weed Wrangle at home. Remove exotic invasive species from your landscape. We recommend checking out the Tennessee Exotic Pests Plant Council website for information on con...
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Monday, February 2, 2015
Make your backyard more attractive to birds in winter
There are lots of ways you can attract birds to your backyard, even during the winter months. Even though most birds in Tennessee fly south for the winter, there are several birds that stay here during the cooler months.
Common Tennessee winter residents:
American Goldfinch
American Robin
Blue Jay
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Dark-eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Towhee
House Finch
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Mockingbi...
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Thursday, January 29, 2015
Join the Zoo for Weed Wrangle 2015
We need your help! Join Nashville Zoo for the first annual Weed Wrangle, a city-wide clean-up day dedicated to ridding Nashville of non-native plant species. Weed Wrangle is set for Saturday, Feb. 28 from 9 a.m. - noon.
Exotic invasive plants, particularly bush honeysuckle and Chinese privet, have outcompeted native plant species over the last hundred years on the Zoo’s Grassmere property. Without natural predators, this invasive vegetation has negatively impacted the ecosystem, causing a d...
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Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Great Blue Turaco Birth Announcement
We are pleased to report another successful hatching from our Great Blue Turacos (Corythaeola cristata). The female chick arrived on June 10 and marked the fourth baby turaco to be successfully raised at Nashville Zoo since we acquired the species in 2009. Only a handful of zoos breed turacos, so each hatching is certainly cause for celebration.
“Great blue turacos chicks have a low survivability rate, and while we have had previous breeding success, this time around we developed...
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Friday, July 11, 2014
Nashville Zoo Sends Endangered Tadpoles to the Wild
Nashville Zoo recently shipped over 4,400 critically endangered Puerto Rican crested tadpoles to Puerto Rico as part of a conservation effort that releases the tadpoles into protected ponds in the Guanica National Forest.
“Since we began breeding Puerto Rican Crested Toads in 2012, Nashville Zoo has produced 10,365 tadpoles that have been shipped to Puerto Rico for release,” said Dale McGinnity, ectotherm curator. “This project is the perfect example of how ex-situ (outside ...
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