USDA FACILITY REPORT
Knoxville Zoological Gardens
Knoxville, Tennessee 37914 - 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive
Animals on Record
- Naked Mole-Rat457
- Budgerigar351
- Domestic Goat241
- African Hunting Dog95
- Chimpanzee88
- Western Gorilla77
- Cockatiel67
- Red Wolf63
- Red Panda60
Show all 94 species
- Silvery Lutung53
- Chacoan Peccary51
- Hamadryas Baboon50
- Lion50
- American Beaver44
- Sheep Including All Domestic Breeds43
- North American Black Bear39
- Giraffe38
- Bat-Eared Fox37
- Striped Skunk33
- Chinchilla33
- North American River Otter32
- Tiger30
- Lar Gibbon28
- Black-Tailed Prairie Dog27
- White Rhinoceros26
- African Elephant26
- European Polecat24
- Damaraland Mole Rat24
- Blue Monkey23
- Raccoon23
- Domestic Guinea Pig23
- Wild Boar21
- Mountain Zebra21
- Yellow Armadillo20
- White-Fronted Marmoset18
- Domestic Rabbit16
- Yellow-Backed Duiker14
- Four-Toed Hedgehog14
- Damara14
- Slender-Tailed Meerkat14
- Domestic Pig12
- Black-Footed Ferret11
- Cape Porcupine10
- Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine9
- Common Waterbuck9
- Big Brown Bat8
- Chinchilla (Domesticated)8
- Common Ostrich8
- Domestic Chicken (Including All Domestic Breeds /7
- Short-Eared Elephant Shrew7
- Red River Hog7
- Burchell’s6
- Eastern Screech-Owl6
- European Rabbit6
- Linnaeus's Two-Toed Sloth6
- Thomson's Gazelle5
- Black Tufted-Ear Marmoset5
- White-Crested Laughingthrush5
- Domestic Ferret5
- Blue-Crowned Laughingthrush4
- Hoffmann's Two-Toed Sloth4
- Southern Ground-Hornbill4
- White-Naped Crane4
- Red-Tailed Hawk4
- Scarlet Macaw4
- Burrowing Owl4
- Wild Turkey4
- Four-Toed Hedgehog (Most Common Pet Hedgehog)4
- Baer's Pochard3
- Edwards's Pheasant3
- American Crow3
- Collared Peccary3
- Barn Owl3
- Zebra-Banded Duiker2
- Dromedary Camel2
- Taveta Golden-Weaver2
- Norway Rat2
- Green Aracari2
- Hyacinth Macaw2
- Blue-Throated Macaw2
- Blue-And-Yellow Macaw2
- Harris's Hawk2
- White-Faced Whistling-Duck2
- Turkey Vulture2
- Gray Crowned-Crane2
- Hooded Merganser2
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl2
- Trumpeter Hornbill1
- Congo African Grey Parrot1
- Sun Parakeet1
- Bushveld Elephant Shrew1
- Sun Parakeet1
- African Bush Pig1
- Bobcat1
Inspection History
A history of USDA inspections for this facility. The complete inspection details are included with report access.
+ 10 more inspections · 1 violation in the full report
What's in This Report
Preview: most recent violation
Oct 6, 2016The full report opens the complete inspector narrative for this and every other violation.
The full report includes:
How to Read This Report
This page shows the complete USDA inspection history for Knoxville Zoological Gardens. The grade at the top is calculated by BreederCheck based on the total number of violations, their severity, whether any are repeat offenses, and how recently they occurred. It is not an official USDA grade, the USDA does not assign letter grades to facilities.
Each inspection in the timeline represents an actual visit by a USDA APHIS inspector. Inspections can be routine (scheduled), focused (in response to a complaint), or follow-up (to verify that previously cited violations have been corrected). The badges next to each inspection date indicate how many violations were found during that visit and their severity levels.
In the violation details section, you can read the specific regulatory codes that were cited and, when available, the inspector's narrative describing exactly what was observed. Pay particular attention to violations marked as "Repeat", these indicate problems that the breeder was previously warned about but failed to correct. Critical violations involving immediate threats to animal health or safety are the most serious and should weigh heavily in your decision-making.
If you are considering purchasing an animal from this facility, we recommend using this data as a starting point, not an endpoint. Visit the breeder in person, ask to see the animals' living conditions, request veterinary health records, and compare this facility's record to other breeders in the same state.
Frequently asked questions about Knoxville Zoological Gardens
Is Knoxville Zoological Gardens a USDA-licensed breeder?
Knoxville Zoological Gardens holds USDA license number 63-C-0001 (C), which means the facility is registered under the federal Animal Welfare Act and is subject to periodic USDA APHIS inspections.
Does Knoxville Zoological Gardens have any USDA violations on record?
Yes. USDA inspectors have documented 1 violation at this facility (1 non-critical). Critical and repeat violations matter most because they involve direct risks to animal health or problems the breeder was warned about before. Each cited code and the inspector narrative are in the full report above.
When was Knoxville Zoological Gardens last inspected by the USDA?
The most recent inspection on record for Knoxville Zoological Gardens was on Sep 9, 2026, and the facility has 13 inspections documented in total. The USDA typically inspects licensed breeders every one to three years.
Where is Knoxville Zoological Gardens located?
Knoxville Zoological Gardens is located in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can browse other USDA-licensed breeders in Tennessee to compare inspection records before you decide.
Get notified about new inspections
USDA inspects each facility every 1-3 years. We'll email you the moment a new inspection report drops, free, one email per inspection.
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