@zooknoxville

First off, we are SO very proud of @vol_football this season! While it wasn’t the outcome we hoped for in Columbus, we want to extend a huge congratulations to the @ohiostatefb , my good friend Tom Schmid at @columbuszoo, their incredible staff, and of course, their lovable red pandas.

As part of our friendly wager, Zoo Knoxville will be donating to wetland restoration through the Columbus Zoo’s Ohio Center for Wildlife Conservation. This will help support protecting important habitat in the Buckeye state and benefits local species like hellbenders—which are even found here in Tennessee. And for letting us change their name to the orange pandas for the week, we also will be supporting red panda conservation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums SAFE program. Plus, our friends at the Columbus Zoo let us know they have a surprise for us, which they’ll reveal in their response.

This challenge was never just about football—it was about coming together for conservation and having a little fun along the way.

To all our Vol fans out there: THANK YOU for supporting Zoo Knoxville. And don’t be surprised if the Boyd Family Red Panda Village turns orange again soon—GO VOLS! 🍊

Learn more about how you can support Zoo Knoxville and the Columbus Zoo:
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#GoVols #ZooKnoxville #ColumbusZoo #Conservation