Knoxville Zoo

Images of America: Tennessee

by Sonya A. Haskins, Jack Hanna (Foreward)

The Knoxville Zoo began as the Birthday Park Zoo in 1948. Due to a lack of expertise and funding, the Humane Society started proceedings to close the zoo in 1971 after the animals' welfare came under scrutiny. The zoo was saved by Guy Smith, a local television executive, who took on the job as the zoo's first director at a salary of $1 per year. Smith managed to convince the City of Knoxville and the local community to invest in this wonderful sanctuary. As the zoo's conditions improved and awareness was raised, a focus was placed on breeding threatened or endangered animals. These efforts were rewarded in 1978 with the birth of the first two African elephants to be born in the western hemisphere. This book celebrates the zoo's fascinating history with approximately 200 black-and-white images and detailed captions of its birth, rebirth, and journey toward becoming one of the nation's premier zoological institutions. This is a keepsake that zoo visitors and wildlife enthusiasts alike will enjoy.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Animals

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2007

Reviews

[Nilah Douglas]

We love the Knoxville zoo! This was fun, quick, and educational comparing how different the animals, enclosures, and environment of the zoo is now to the 70s. I was amazed to read about all the animals we once had displayed in Knoxville- some I’m thankful are gone, but others I’d like to experience and share with my daughter. Apparently we had sea lions, capybaras, and camels! Cool getting to know some history on a place we visit often.

[Allan67 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a small book containing the history of the Knoxville Zoo, from about 1970. The zoo had been in operation for some number of years before 1970, but apparently only became a serious zoo when Guy Smith became the manager. Our family has been to this zoo a number of times in the 1980s and 1990s. It has come a long way since I remember visiting the zoo with my dad years earlier. The book discussed some that progress along with its operations and plans.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knoxville Zoo [TN] (Images of America: Tennessee) by Sonya Haskins (Arcadia Publishing 2007)(590.73768). This is a volume from the popular and extremely well-done photographic compilations of vintage photographs known as the "Images of America " series. This volume features photos from the Knoxville, Tennessee zoological park. My rating: 7/10, finished 2008.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to believe that the Knoxville Zoo bred the first two African Elephants born in the Western Hemisphere. They did and props to a small zoo who has done great things for zoology, and animals and such.