Conservation at Zoo Knoxville
Fun on the outside, serious about animals on the inside.
Monumental things happen every day in our herpetology department. Zoo Knoxville conducts critical research and conservation work with reptiles and amphibians that has global importance. But, like the majority of the zoo’s reptile and amphibian collection, that work was hidden from guests behind closed doors – until now. The ARC opens up those spaces for all to see, allowing guests to get closer than ever before to these compelling animals.
These kinds of experiences inspire future conservationists to care about wild life and wild places. You might see anything from a rare tortoise hatching, to a venomous snake being fed right in front of you!
Read more about our work to save species from extinction, both locally and globally.
Education in Action
The ARC Center is an innovative model, combining animal habitats with education space, all designed to spark curiosity and inspire learning. Striking, museum-quality displays draw in guests and encourage them to get up close and personal with these most captivating of creatures. Guests can experience an Adventure Lab and an indoor greenhouse. Interactive technology allows zoo guests to create a unique reptile or amphibian, and send it out into an imaginary, on-screen habitat to grow and prosper.
Classrooms are also outdoors, providing more opportunities to interact with zoo staff and animals in marshes and bogs filled with life. Children can collect specimens and bring them back into the classroom to investigate. This sanctuary will create a fascination with reptiles and amphibians, and serve as a popular draw for guests of all ages.
Both the indoor and outdoor classrooms are combined with multi-course STEM curriculum and programming that facilitates exploration and learning. These educational spaces and programs can be used for field trips, home school classes, scout troops, youth groups, zoo camps and overnight adventures.