Zoo Knoxville has earned top national honors for its decades of work protecting one of the world’s most endangered tortoise species.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) awarded Zoo Knoxville Top Honors for the 2026 Edward H. Bean Population Sustainability Award, recognizing its exceptional work with the Madagascar flat-tailed tortoise Species Survival Plan (SSP).
The award was announced September 30 during the AZA Honors and Awards Lunch at the association’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon. Zoo Knoxville was recognized among 96 applicants across all award categories.
“Congratulations to the team at Zoo Knoxville for their hard work and dedication in achieving this remarkable recognition,” said Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “This award recognizes the best of the best in the global aquarium and zoo community. The work being done at Zoo Knoxville further strengthens the impact of our entire community and is something Knoxville can be proud of.”
More than 50 years of conservation
Zoo Knoxville has been a leader in conserving critically endangered Madagascar flat-tailed tortoises for more than 50 years.
In 2002, the zoo became the first facility in the United States to successfully hatch a Madagascar flat-tailed tortoise. Today, it maintains the largest breeding population of the species outside Madagascar.
Through its leadership in the Madagascar Flat-tailed Tortoise Species Survival Plan, Zoo Knoxville helps maintain a healthy, genetically diverse population of the rare species, which faces significant threats in its native habitat.
The zoo’s herpetology team recently celebrated a record-breaking breeding season, successfully hatching 10 flat-tailed tortoises, doubling its previous record of approximately five hatchlings in a single season.
The Edward H. Bean Population Sustainability Award recognizes the zoo’s decades of dedication to the species’ long-term survival and its continued commitment to collaborative breeding and population management.
A commitment to saving species
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing conservation, animal welfare, education, science and recreation.
The association accredits 255 zoos, aquariums and related facilities in 12 countries, establishing standards for animal care, conservation and education.
Zoo Knoxville is an AZA-accredited nonprofit situated on 53 wooded acres just east of downtown Knoxville. Known internationally for its conservation and species survival efforts, the zoo features animals in naturalistic habitats and works to protect endangered wildlife.
Knoxville’s largest attraction is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Current operating hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with admission and ticket sales ending one hour before closing.
Learn more about the AZA Honors and Awards and Zoo Knoxville’s conservation efforts at zooknoxville.org.
Zoo Knoxville’s mission is to deliver dynamic guest experiences while inspiring action to save wildlife and wild places. For more information on Zoo Knoxville’s commitment to wildlife conservation, events, membership, and planning your visit, go here.
Located at 3500 Knoxville Zoo Dr.,37914, Zoo Knoxville is open every day 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
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WordPress tags: Zoo Knoxville, Wildlife Conservation
