Visitors to Nashville Zoo will venture on a Peruvian expedition thanks in large part to the generosity of several lead contributors to our Andean bear exhibit. Partnering with the Zoo on this endeavor are:
- Cynthia and Dave Arnholt
- Kelley and Lee Beaman & the Alvin and Sally Beaman Foundation
- Andrea Waitt Carlton Family Foundation
- Sally and Neely Coble, III
- Joe C. Davis Foundation
- Dugas Family Foundation
- Missy and John Eason
- The Frist Foundation
- Patricia and Rodes Hart
- Sarah and David Ingram
- Gail and Jeff Jacobs
- Kent, Nora and Emme Kirby
- Martin Family Foundation
- Adrienne and Richard McRae III & the Selby and Richard McRae Foundation
- Speer Foundation
- Julie and Breck Walker
- Julia and Chris Whitson
The Trek of the Andean Bear will depict the beautiful highlands of Peru.
At the entrance plaza, visitors will be immersed in an authentic indigenous village with a Peruvian lodge graciously underwritten by the Dugas Family Foundation. The lodge will contain interactive educational displays and will be an ideal place to gather and rest during a Zoo visit. Inside this facility, visitors will get an unobstructed view of the bears from several observation points, including one underwater. This interior area is supported by the Selby and Richard McRae Foundation.
An outdoor viewing area, funded by a gift from Gail and Jeff Jacobs, will showcase the environment from an exterior vantage point.
Pudu
Viscacha
Andean bear
Thanks to the Andrea Waitt Carlton Family Foundation, the back side of the lodge will feature 16-ft. aquarium with fresh water stingrays and other species that inhabit the Peruvian Amazon Basin.
Upon exiting the lodge, guests will encounter the world’s smallest deer, the pudu, sharing its habitat with an unusual rodent called a viscacha. Resembling a rabbit with a long bushy tail, the viscacha’s den is financed through a gift by Kent, Nora and Emme Kirby.
An additional habitat within this larger exhibit will feature a group of over fifty guinea pigs and will highlight the importance of these domesticated animals to Peruvian culture.
In total, over twenty species will inhabit this newly developed space, ensuring this as one of the most popular destinations within the park.
Construction on Expedition Peru is currently underway near the alligator exhibit.
Sarah and David Ingram
McRae Family
Jacobs Family
Kirby Family
Dugas Family
Andrea Waitt Carlton