Nashville Zoo Inc

TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND PROVIDE A PARK/FACILITY THAT IS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE IN ANIMAL CARE, INNOVATIVE DESIGN AND GLOBAL CONSERVATION WHILE DELIVERING STRONG EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY VALUE.

ZOO: DESPITE BEING A YEAR OF REBUILDING, 2021 WAS PACKED WITH NEW FRIENDS, NEW WAYS TO CONNECT AND NEW WAYS TO ENJOY THE ZOO ALL THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF OUR SUPPORTERS. TENVISION ULTRASOUND DONATED A NEW GENERAL ELECTRIC ULTRASOUND AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THE ZOO'S OUTDATED MACHINE. THE GENEROUS GIFT SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCED THE ZOO'S ABILITY TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT OUR GROWING ANIMAL FAMILY. THE ZOO INCREASED OUR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN 2021 WITH A MASSIVE "SOUP-ER BOWL" FOOD DRIVE, MULTIPLE BLOOD DRIVES, VACCINE DISTRIBUTION, AND OUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT'S HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE. IN MARCH, NASHVILLE ZOO WAS THE BACKDROP FOR THE "ALL TOGETHER FOR ANIMALS" VIRTUAL BENEFIT CONCERT TO HELP OTHER ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. FELIX, OUR MALE SUMATRAN TIGER, ARRIVED IN MARCH FROM ANOTHER FACILITY THANKS TO A SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN BREEDING RECOMMENDATION. OUR GIRAFFE HERD CHANGED DRAMATICALLY DURING THE YEAR. WE MOURNED THE LOSS OF CONGO, OUR BELOVED 16-YEAR-OLD MALE GIRAFFE, IN APRIL. THEN CELEBRATED THE ARRIVALS OF MALE ROWAN AND FEMALES AMIRA AND VIOLET LATER IN THE YEAR. WE FOUND WAYS OF GETTING OUR GUESTS CLOSER TO ANIMALS THROUGH AN EXPANDED BEHIND-THE-SCENES RHINO TOUCHING EXPERIENCE. YOU CAN NOW GRAB A BOOZY BEVERAGE AS YOU STROLL THROUGH THE ZOO, THANKS TO THE ADDITION OF CRAFT BEER AND MARGARITAS ON TAP AT LOCATIONS AROUND THE PARK. PLUS, THE BEVERAGES ARE SOLD IN 100% RECYCLABLE ALUMINUM CUPS! IN SEPTEMBER, WE LAUNCHED A NEW MOBILE APP FEATURING AN INTERACTIVE MAP OF THE ZOO, ANIMAL INFORMATION, VIRTUAL HABITATS AND MORE. SO FAR, MORE THAN 15,000 USERS HAVE DOWNLOADED THE APP.

CONSERVATION: WE ADDED THREE NEW RESEARCH ENDEAVORS TO OUR CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN 202. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE TENNESSEE WILDLIFE RESOURCE AGENCY (TWRA), WE FITTED 15 EASTERN BOX TURTLES WITH RADIO TRANSMITTERS AND BEGAN TRACKING THEIR MOVEMENT ON OUR 188-ACRE PROPERTY TO DETERMINE HOW THEIR URBAN ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS THEM. WE INSTALLED A MOTUS WILDLIFE TRACKING TOWER ON THE ZOO'S PROPERTY AS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF TOWERS THAT TRACES THE MIGRATION AND MOVEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL BIRDS, BATS AND EVEN SOME INSECTS WEARING RADIO TELEMETRY TAGS. THESE TOWERS ALLOW SCIENTISTS TO USE COORDINATED DATA TO FACILITATE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ON THE ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY ANIMALS. AS PART OF OUR ONGOING WORK WITH GIANT GALLIWASPS, NASHVILLE ZOO STAFF TRAVELED TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO COLLECT BLOOD SAMPLES FROM SEVERAL SPECIMENS OF WILD GIANT GALLIWASPS. THIS DATA WILL HELP US DETERMINE IF FUTURE TRANSLOCATION OF A GALLIWASP POPULATION MAINTAINED HERE AT THE ZOO IS POSSIBLE.THROUGHOUT 2021, THE ZOO'S HERPETOLOGY TEAM PARTNERED WITH MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES TO HELP BOLSTER POPULATIONS OF SEVERAL THREATENED SPECIES. IN FEBRUARY, ZOO STAFF SUCCESSFULLY BRED STREAMSIDE SALAMANDERS THAT PRODUCED 100+ FERTILE EGGS THAT WERE THEN RELEASED INTO A LOCAL STREAM. SEVERAL DAYS LATER THE EGGS HATCHED. BIOLOGISTS ARE NOW ACTIVELY IMPROVING THE HABITAT BY ADDING ADDITIONAL ROCKS TO CREATE SUITABLE HABITATS AND SITES FOR FUTURE EGG DEPOSITS. OVER THE SUMMER, ZOO TEAM MEMBERS WADED INTO SEVERAL TENNESSEE RIVERS TO RELEASE 29 EASTERN HELLBENDERS AND 30 ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLES AS PART OF THE ZOO'S HEADSTART PROGRAMS. ABOUT 140 HELLBENDERS REMAIN IN OUR NATIVE AQUATIC CONSERVATION CENTERWITH PLANS TO RELEASE THEM OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. MORE THAN 5,000 PUERTO RICAN CRESTED TOADS HATCHED AT NASHVILLE ZOO THIS YEAR. THE TADPOLES WERE THEN SENT TO THEIR NATIVE HOME TO BE RELEASED IN PROTECTED STREAMS. OVER THE YEARS, THE ZOO'S EFFORTS WITH THIS SPECIES HAVE RESULTED IN THE RELEASE OF MORE THAN 20,000 TADPOLES.

EDUCATION: AS COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS WERE SOMEWHAT RELAXED NASHVILLE ZOO WAS ABLE TO RELAUNCH SEVERAL OF OUR PREVIOUSLY SUSPENDED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AT A REDUCED CAPACITY. OVERALL NASHVILLE ZOO SERVED A TOTAL OF 25,004 INDIVIDUALS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING IN 2021.WHILE SOME SCHOOL SYSTEMS DID NOT FULLY REIMPLEMENT THEIR FIELD TRIP PROGRAMMING THE THE FIRST PART OF THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR, WE HAD 16,346 STUDENTS VISIT THE ZOO THROUGH FIELD TRIPS, INCLUDING 2704 FROM TITLE 1 SCHOOLS.ATTENDANCE FOR TRADITIONAL PROGRAMMING INCLUDES:*HOMESCHOOL DAYS SERVED 330 STUDENTS IN 2021 BETWEEN THE AGES OF 5 - 14*ZOOTOTS RELAUNCHED IN 2021 WITH 1416 STUDENTS IN AGES 0-4*SCOUT WORKSHOPS SERVED 360 STUDENTS IN 2021*ZOOVENTURES OUTREACH VIRTUAL PROGRAMS SERVED 379 STUDENTS IN 2021*SUMMER CAMPS SERVED 702 STUDENTS IN 2021*1416 INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATED IN 2021 TEDDY BEAR CLINIC*337 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN DAY OF DISCOVERY PROGRAMS.IN ADDITION TO TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM-BASED PROGRAMMING, OUR INTERPRETIVE STAFF SERVED A TOTAL OF 3718 GUESTS THROUGH INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMMING.