NASHVILLE ZOO INC

NASHVILLE ZOO IS PROUD TO SHARE THAT, IN 2024, WE ONCE AGAIN MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN GLOBAL CONSERVATION EFFORTS, WHILE CONTINUING TO SERVE AS A VITAL RESOURCE FOR EDUCATION AND FAMILY FUN IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE INVESTED NEARLY ONE MILLION DOLLARS INTO CONSERVATION PROJECTS WORLDWIDE. OUR EXPERT KEEPERS WORKED HAND-IN-HAND WITH CONSERVATIONISTS ON THE GROUND, SUPPORTING CRITICAL EFFORTS WITH KOMODO DRAGONS IN INDONESIA AND GIRAFFES IN BOTSWANA. STUDENTS OF ALL AGES, FROM TODDLERS TO COLLEGE INTERNS, CONNECTED WITH THE NATURAL WORLD THROUGH OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. VISITORS TO THE ZOO EXPERIENCED UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS, INCLUDING THE PUBLIC DEBUT OF OUR THREE SUMATRAN TIGER CUBS. NOTEWORTHY IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE TO THE GUEST EXPERIENCE WITH THE OPENING OF OUR NEW PARKING GARAGE AND THE ADDITION OF AMENITIES LIKE DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP CARDS, A NEW TICKETING PLATFORM, AND SELF-SERVICE KIOSKS FOR FOOD AND RETAIL PURCHASES. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NASHVILLE PREDATORS, WE INTRODUCED THE SMASHVILLE ICE RINK AT ZOOLUMINATION. NASHVILLE ZOO ALSO CELEBRATED 1.39 MILLION IN ATTENDANCE AND 43,492 MEMBERSHIP HOUSEHOLDS.

NASHVILLE ZOO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATES IN 50+ SPECIES SURVIVAL PLANS AND HAVE THE HONOR OF WORKING WITH INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE WORLD TO HELP SAVE SPECIES VULNERABLE TO EXTINCTION. IN EARLY SPRING, A ZOO TEAM MEMBER TRAVELED TO KOMODO NATIONAL PARK TO HELP WITH HANDS-ON KOMODO DRAGON CONSERVATION WORK. SPENDING FIVE DAYS ON KOMODO ISLAND, PART OF KOMODO NATIONAL PARK IN INDONESIA, HE WORKED HAND IN HAND WITH THE KOMODO SURVIVAL PROGRAM CHECKING ANIMAL TRAPS IN SELECTED STUDY SITE AREAS AROUND THE ISLAND TO COLLECT AND RECORD DATA ON CERTAIN ANIMALS. ADDITIONALLY, THE ZOO WELCOMED TWO KOMODO DRAGON HATCHLINGS IN SEPTEMBER. A MEMBER OF THE ZOO'S HOOFSTOCK TEAM TRAVELED TO KENYA TO WORK WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND WILD GIRAFFE POPULATIONS. SHE TEAMED UP WITH SAVE GIRAFFES NOW (SGN) TO HELP A LOCAL TEAM OF WILDLIFE SCOUTS STUDY HOW GIRAFFES ARE AFFECTED BY FRAGMENTATION AND HIGHWAY CROSSINGS ALONG THE MOMBASA HIGHWAY. LATER IN THE YEAR, TWO ZOO TEAM MEMBERS RETURNED TO HELP SGN COMPLETE A GIRAFFE TRANSLOCATION AND MONITOR THEM AT THE MOKOLODI NATURE RESERVE. THE ZOO SUCCESSFULLY SHIPPED 1,200 PUERTO RICAN CRESTED TOAD TADPOLES TO PUERTO RICO TO BOOST THEIR POPULATION IN THE WILD, WHILE KEEPING 5 TO HELP DIVERSIFY THE GENETICS OF OUR BREEDING PROGRAM HERE IN NASHVILLE. SINCE STARTING OUR BREEDING EFFORTS IN 2012, WE'VE PRODUCED OVER 25,000 TADPOLES FOR RELEASE. OUR HERPETOLOGY TEAM MARKED AN INCREDIBLE MILESTONE WITH THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL HATCHING OF CROCODILE TEGUS AT ANY ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS-ACCREDITED FACILITY. OTHER SIGNIFICANT BIRTHS AT THE ZOO INCLUDE FOUR RED RIVER HOG PIGLETS, A SOUTHERN TAMANDUA, SIX SKUNK KITS, A RED RUFFED LEMUR, A GREAT BLUE TURACAO, AND A RED KANGAROO.