Home to over 800 different species of animals from all over the world the 53 acre Knoxville Zoo welcomes over 400 tourists and visitors each year. The zoo offers everyone a wide variety of entertainment and features a lot of naturalistic outdoor habitats for its animal residents.

The Knoxville Zoo has succeeded in breeding many endangered species like the Red Pandas and White Rhinos and has bred the African Elephant in the western hemisphere in 1978. Curator of Red Pandas and special exhibits at the Knoxville Zoo was appointed as coordinator for the North American Red Panda Species Survival Plan in 2009 which protects the species habitat and as of this time the Knoxville Zoo holds the largest number of captive Red Panda births in the Western Hemisphere.

To celebrate the wonders of the natural world through education, conservation, exhibition, research and recreation the Knoxville Zoo continues its purpose and strives to develop attitudes and actions to educate the community about how the natural world makes the earth a better place.