Do you want to spend the day in nature, hanging out with some friendly animals? If so, you can’t beat a trip to Zoo Knoxville. The zoo has hundreds of animals and an assortment of habitats for you to explore. While walking around and viewing animals inside habitats is fun, you’ll enjoy your experience even more if you add some encounters into the mix. Check out some ways you can interact with the animals at the zoo.
Feed Jumbe the Giraffe
The Williams Family Giraffe Experience is one of the zoo’s most popular encounters. For a mere $5, you can feed Jumbe the giraffe. This 17-foot-tall giraffe might look imposing, but he’s friendly and loves visitors.
Now, he has a massive appetite, gobbling up around 80 pounds of leaves every day. With an appetite like that, he’ll happily munch on the few that you offer him during the encounter.
Make New Friends on the Tortoise Trail
Then there’s the Tortoise Trail. This encounter also costs $5, but instead of one animal, you’ll interact with a handful of Aldabra giant tortoises and small Madagascar radiated tortoises. You’ll spend the time feeding the hungry little animals leaves and petting them. Oh, and you can even give them a mini massage with a scrub brush. Now, that’s a sure-fire way to enhance your experience at the zoo.
Interact With Birds
The zoo added a new experience at the Budgie Landing Aviary in Kids Cove this year, and it’s already a hit. You can buy a $1 popsicle stick that contains birdseed when you arrive. Then you need to hold it out and wait for the birds to come. The staff trains the cockatiels and budgies to fly to the sticks and chow down. While the idea of a bird swooping down and landing on you might seem a little scary, there’s no need to worry. The birds here are incredibly gentle and love hanging out with human friends.
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Get Up Close to a Porcupine
Porcupine quills are sharp, so you don’t want to cuddle up with one. However, you’ll love watching Pedzi, the African crested porcupine, walk down the concourse at the zoo. First, a zookeeper will put her on a leash and then take her out for a stroll. She’ll enjoy some snacks during the walk and has been known to pause for some pictures. And if porcupines aren’t your thing, the zookeepers take other animals out for walks, too. Keep your eye on the concourse to see if any animals go out for strolls.
These are some of the highlights of Zoo Knoxville, but they’re hardly all you can enjoy. Just keep in mind that the zoo is large, and there’s quite a bit of exploring to do. Thus, set aside ample time to spend the day enjoying the zoo.