The most notable exhibit is the Himalayan Passage, which houses the zoo's red pandas. The exhibit boasts the largest indoor red panda exhibit in the world, despite the zoo being one of the smallest zoos accredited by the AZA. The Himalayan Passage passage was expanded in 2006 to include habitats for snow leopards and Hanuman langurs. The hanuman langurs shared an exhibit with a Francois langur, and when the last hanuman langur left in 2015, the zoo welcomed a new Francois langur. The Francois langurs left and then were replaced by a breeding pair of white-cheeked gibbons in 2019. The Gombe Forest is a $2.1 million exhibit that is home to the zoo's chimpanzees. The Gombe Forest is an indoor/outdoor exhibit built in 2001 to house Hank, the zoo's long-time resident and seen in photo at right, as well as several other chimps. Hank, found in the rain forests of Africa in 1968, was donated to the zoo in 1976 and became the longest and most famous resident of the zoo before passing away of natural causes at age 42 on January 24, 2011. The Donovan Interpretive Center features an indoor chimpanzee viewing area and other small exhibits. The Corcovado Jungle is home to animals from Latin America, including jaguars, spider monkeys, macaws, and capybaras. Walkin' the Tracks holds the zoo's North American animals, including bobcats, prairie dogs and white-tailed deer. Its theme is around a railroad in reference to Chattanooga's rail history. The Cougar Express has indoor viewing in a train car for the zoo's cougars. A new front entrance complex opened in 2008, and includes new parking areas, a gift shop, restroom facilities, a concessions pavilion, and an endangered species carousel.
Conservation
The Chattanooga Zoo is actively involved in conservation efforts, specifically the AZA's Species Survival Plan which manages the breeding, conservation, and welfare of endangered species throughout AZA accredited facilities in North America. Since 1998, the zoo has also been a partner with the Zoo Conservation Outreach Group/Fundacion Zoologica. ZCOG is an organization that partners with Latin American zoos and assists with conservation initiatives in Latin America, specifically the saving of the Amazon Rainforest.
The future
The zoo is currently undergoing a five-phase, $12 million Master Plan that is transforming it into an excellent zoological facility. In the last 10 years, the zoo has expanded from to its current. The Master Plan includes new exhibits and expansion of the animal collection to specifically include African penguins, gibbons, and Komodo dragons.
