As the mother of two animal fanatics, I have visited many remarkable zoos all over the country. I am especially fond of (and proud of) Zoo Knoxville, which I have watched transform over the past 40+ years since my first visit on a school field trip.
We have had season passes off and on over the years, and now William is an official zoo volunteer, so we go to the zoo often. I hope you enjoy the pictures of some of our favorite animals and the beautiful habitats created for their enjoyment and visitors’ education.
In my earliest memories, most of the animals were in cages or concrete bunkers. Now, the majority live in habitats that suit the needs of the animals and please visitors too. Something new is always under construction: right now it is a state-of-the-art herpetology facility. The current home of the reptiles is one of the few things left that has not changed much since my childhood.
The Chinese Alligator above is one of William’s favorite creatures at our zoo.
Many, many years ago the circus came to town and left a gift–a bad-tempered African elephant named Old Diamond. He later became the father of the first African elephant born in captivity. Old Diamond lived in a concrete enclosure. Nowadays the elephants have much nicer digs, with inside and outside viewing areas.
William loves the petting zoo, especially the donkeys. He is going to have the opportunity to start volunteering there in the next few weeks.
Lorelei especially likes the river otters, who are native to East Tennessee. They can be elusive, though.
Besides the petting zoo, there are a lot of other “little kid” exhibits and activities in the Kids Cove area of the zoo–where all those concrete bunkers once were! Here are some of the animals you might see there:
Our zoo is known for raising red pandas, and we have a great indoor-outdoor exhibit of them. I wish I had a better picture, because in my opinion they are about the cutest animals in the zoo and I wish I could cuddle one.
Below are some more of the animals you will see at Zoo Knoxville, as well as some examples of the attractive exhibits and landscaping. I’m saving my very favorite pictures for the end of the post.
A pile of painted dog pups
These are NOT pigs; they are peccaries, a close relative
No one is really sure how old Big Al is, but he is well over 100
And now for my very favorite exhibit, the Asian Trek. I just think it is beautifully done, and I love how close you can get to its inhabitants, as you will see.
I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of Zoo Knoxville!
Saturday 9 November and Sunday 10 November are $5 days at the zoo, and parking is free, but you must purchase tickets ONLINE.
