past the Black Bear Falls in the spring of 2021, replacing a smaller "Birds of Central America" exhibit at the center of the zoo. This exhibit containing dozens of indoor naturalistic habitats for various reptile and amphibian species, and it is considered to be massive upgrade from the previous version. Notable species include the Cuban crocodile and various tortoise species that are a focal point of the zoo's conservation efforts. The exhibit also features a two-toed sloth. As part of the second phase of this building complex, the Clayton Otter Creek exhibit features a revitalized habitat for the zoo's two North American river otters, opening in March 2022. Directly across from the ARC, a small compound features Geoffrey's marmosets, Chacoan peccaries, a six-banded armadillo, and porcupines (one Brazilian and one African crested). Grasslands Africa In West Zoo, the largest series of habitats are intended to evoke an African savanna. The Stokely African Elephant Preserve houses three African elephants: a male named Tonka and two females named Jada and Edie. The Williams Family Giraffe Encounter provides guests with the opportunity to feed reticulated giraffes. Other featured species include Hartmann's mountain zebras, southern white rhinos, southern ground hornbills, and a bat-eared fox. Just past these is a restaurant and a splash pad for children, and farther up is the Valley of the Kings exhibit, housing neighboring attractions with African lions and Hamadryas baboons respectively. Originally, the path past the Valley of the Kings looped back around to the rest of the zoo, but this has been closed for some time as part of the zoo's larger renovation plans. Gorilla Valley and Chimp Ridge The rest of West Zoo is largely themed around a bamboo forest leading to Gorilla Valley and Chimp Ridge, housing large families of western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees respectively. Other habitats featured species such as African wild dogs, red wolves, yellow-backed duikers, and an elderly Lar gibbon not housed in the Boyd Family Asian Trek. Conservation The Knoxville Zoo has been successful at breeding several endangered species, especially red pandas and white rhinos. The zoo also bred the first African elephant in captivity in the Western Hemisphere, nicknamed "Lil' Diamond" in 1978. In 2009, Sarah Glass, curator of red pandas and Special Exhibits at the Knoxville Zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee, was appointed as coordinator for the North American Red Panda Species Survival Plan. The Knoxville Zoo has the largest