Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
Date opened 1990, as Grassmere Wildlife Park[1]
Location Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Coordinates 36°05′21.1″N 86°44′37.4″W / 36.089194°N 86.743722°W / 36.089194; -86.743722Coordinates: 36°05′21.1″N 86°44′37.4″W / 36.089194°N 86.743722°W / 36.089194; -86.743722
Land area 188 acres (76 ha)[1][2]
No. of animals 6,230[2]
No. of species 339[2]
Annual visitors 964,760[3]
Memberships Association of Zoos and Aquariums[4][5]
Director Julie W. Walker[3]
(Board chair)
Rick Schwartz[3]
(President and CEO)
Management
 • Joe deGraauw[3]
(Avian curator)

 • Dale McGinnity[3]
(Ectotherm curator)
 • Jacqueline Menish[3]
(Curator of Behavioral husbandry)
 • Heather Robertson[3]
(Director of Veterinary services)
 • Jeffrie Hunter[3]
(Director of Facilities)

Public transit access 52
Website www.nashvillezoo.org

The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere is a zoological garden and historic plantation farmhouse located 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Downtown Nashville. As of 2014, the zoo was middle Tennessee's top paid attraction and contained 6,230 individual animals, encompassing 339 species. The zoo's site is approximately 188 acres (76 ha) in size. It is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

History

The Historic Grassmere Home

Nashville Zoo is located on property that was once a 300-acre family farm, belonging to 5 generations of the same family between 1810 and 1985. The family’s original home, still located on the property, was built in 1810. Margaret and Elise Croft, the great-great granddaughters of Michael Dunn, the original owner, were the last of the family to call Grassmere home.[6][7]

The sisters deeded the land and family home to the Children’s Museum of Nashville in 1964, with the agreement the house would remain and the land would be used as a ‘nature study center.’[7][8] After Elise’s death in 1985, the museum, known today as Adventure Science Center, began work on Grassmere Wildlife Park and opened in June 1990.[9][10][11]

In December 1994, Grassmere Wildlife Park closed.[12] The city of Nashville took over ownership of the property in 1995 and began searching for an independent organization to manage the property.[13] The Nashville Zoo officially opened as a separate, privately owned facility in Joelton, TN in May 1991.[14]In June 1996, then-Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen proposed that either the Nashville Zoo be relocated from its Joelton location to Grassmere, or the land be converted to a city park, without animals.[15] In October 1996, Nashville City Council approved the terms of a lease agreement for Nashville Zoo to relocate to Grassmere.[16]

The Nashville Zoo remained open in Joelton, and in May 1997, the Nashville Wildlife Park at Grassmere opened.[17] Both sites remained open, but due to public confusion, the Joelton site closed in October 1998 and the organization focused completely on the Grassmere location.[18]

Conservation

Locally, Nashville Zoo works collaboratively to protect species including the loggerhead shrike.[19] Globally, Nashville Zoo contributes to efforts which protect clouded leopards,[20] giant anteaters[21] and rhinos.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 "About the Zoo". nashvillezoo.org. Nashville Zoo. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  2. 1 2 3 Gang, Duane W. (July 6, 2014). "How long has the zoo been at Grassmere?" (Vol.110. No.185). The Tennessean (Nashville). p. 8-A. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Nashville Zoo 2017 Annual Report (PDF) (Report).
  4. ↑ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "Association of Zoos and Aquariums/current accreditation". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Grassmere Collection, 1786-1985". teva.contentdm.oclc.org. Tennessee State Library and Archives. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Croft house turns 200". The Tennessean. 2010-05-28. pp. N10. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  8. ↑ "Deed from Margaret and Elise Croft to Nashville Children's Museum". teva.contentdm.oclc.org. Tennessee State Library and Archives. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Cumberland Science Museum becomes Adventure Science Center". bizjournals.com. Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  10. ↑ Connolly, Patrick (1989-09-14). "Into the wild". The Tennessean. p. 43. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  11. ↑ Byron, Janet (1990-06-03). "Life's a jungle". The Tennessean. p. 21. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  12. ↑ Carter, Rochelle (1994-12-17). "Grassmere to close for study of services". The Tennessean. p. 1. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  13. ↑ Ippolito, Mark (1995-07-07). "Potential bidders express interest in Grassmere". The Tennessean. p. 17. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  14. ↑ Straight, Cathy (1991-05-16). "Nashville Zoo roars open for big weekend". The Tennessean. p. 31. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  15. ↑ "Grassmere's sad chapter". The Tennessean. 1996-05-27. p. 11. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  16. ↑ Ippolito, Mark (1996-10-01). "Some hope traffic won't come with zoo". The Tennessean. p. 15. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  17. ↑ "Grassmere". The Daily News-Journal. 1997-05-25. p. 64. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  18. ↑ Ferguson, Carrie (1998-08-25). "Nashville Zoo closing its doors early". The Tennessean. p. 1. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  19. ↑ Young, Nicole (2015-04-29). "Shrike team". Robertson County Times. pp. X1. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  20. ↑ "A clouded leopard conceived through artificial insemination born at Nashville Zoo". abcnews.go.com. ABC News. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Nashville Zoo works to protect, rebuild giant anteater population". wkrn.com. WKRN. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Zoo partners". rhinos.org. International Rhino Foundation. Retrieved August 30, 2018.

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