The recent $3.9 million dollar expansion at the Chattanooga Zoo, Cape of Africa, offers unique and up-close views of their newest animal additions in their new indoor and outdoor habitats.
The new exhibit is also helping the zoo educate the public on the importance of wildlife conservation and the survival of several animal species. Chattanooga Zoo is an accredited member of the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums).
Jake Cash, Chattanooga Zoo’s Marketing Manager, said the species of Giraffes currently housed at the Zoo are endangered in the wild. “And these guys are part of a SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program,” Cash said.
He said SAFE is focused on educating the public and contributing to organizations that do scientific research to decrease habitat destruction, worldwide, and make sure endangered animals are safe and well in the wild. They also help to increase the endangered species’ population.
Chattanooga Zoo also participates in the Species Survival Plans (SSP). According to the zoo’s website, SSP is a population management and conservation program for selected endangered species in accredited zoos and aquariums across the United States. The Chattanooga Zoo currently participates in 46 separate SSP programs.
“All of our other animals except for their Aldabra tortoises are all part of SSP,” Cash said. “SSP regulates breeding within zoos to make sure we don’t have inbreeding and to make sure we have healthy and genetically diverse populations of those animals across all AZA Accredited zoos.”
SSP is the reason modern day zoos no longer need to take animals from the wild, while also protecting certain species from disappearing entirely. Cash said Indonesian turtles are extinct in the wild, but thanks to SSP this species and others like the Panamanian Tree Frog, still exist in zoos.
The Chattanooga Zoo is involved in the Hellbender Conservation Program too. According to the zoo’s website, the zoo, in partnership with Lee University, is involved in important field research to survey wild populations of Hellbenders, the largest salamander species in the United States. The Zoo is also working to establish a successful breeding program for these rapidly disappearing animals. In March 2021, the Chattanooga Zoo opened its Hiwassee Hellbender Research and Education Facility.
Thanks to these conservation efforts and many others the zoo participates in, patrons can appreciate the importance of the new Cape of Africa experience. Cash said the expansion was the zoo’s largest project to date.
As soon as you enter the zoo you are treated to the new outdoor play yard for the giraffes as well as a new outdoor area for the Aldabra tortoises.
The 14-acre zoo currently has 600 animals and just welcomed a new addition. Thanks to the expansion, “Everette is the first Warthog in Chattanooga Zoo history,” Cash said. Everette is a nine-year old male Warthog brought to Chattanooga from Boston. The plan is to find him a female to keep in step with the SSP. The Servals and Cape Porcupines are part of the new exhibit, but Cash said they have lived at the zoo for the past few years as ambassadors. However, they’ve never had their own exhibit spaces until now.
“We replicated their natural habitat and gave them the things they would need in the wild,” Cash said. “For example, Everrett has a mud pit he can roll around in and a shallow pool so he can cool off. The Servals have 18-feet-tall climbing trees in their sizable outdoor exhibit.”
The Chattanooga Zoo is involved in many conservation programs. To learn more about the zoo’s conservation efforts visit: chattzoo.org/about/conservation