Best Mascot in Nashville 2026: Nashville Zoo’s Baby Clouded Leopards
The zoo’s breeding program dedicated to stewarding clouded leopards, a vulnerable species, took on new prominence following reports that a data center was planned next door. The development of the tech facility could lead to environmental issues for the many rare animals housed at the zoo, not to mention the longtime residents of that area of South Nashville. But the zoo notes on its own website the rare animal is arguably its “signature species,” and that reputation was cemented when a CNN story on the dust-up opened with a scene of a zoo staffer bottle-feeding a leopard cub. It’s easy to see what’s at stake when looking at these cats, and all the efforts made to keep the species healthy.
