Nashville Zoo’s Expedition Peru: Trek of the Andean Bear women’s restroom and Entry Village’s men’s restroom have been named America’s Best Restrooms by Cintas. Expedition Peru’s restroom is the home to the Zoo’s family of six cotton-top tamarins, a critically endangered primate species from South America and Entry Village’s restroom is home to a Boelen’s python.
“We’re honored Cintas and the public have recognized this innovative exhibit for this award,” said Rick Schwartz, Nashville Zoo President and CEO. “We look forward to including more “surprise” exhibits as we expand in the future.”
Cintas’ America’s Best Restroom Contest®, which has been around for 18 years, selects the winner based on cleanliness, visual appeal, innovation, functionality and unique design elements. Cintas revealed the ten contest finalists on August 5 and opened voting to the public through September 13. The Zoo was awarded $2,500 in Cintas products and services for restroom cleaning or facility management to keep their restrooms clean and fresh.
Nashville Zoo’s Expedition Peru women’s restroom offers a floor–to–ceiling glass window, perfect for viewing the family of cotton-top tamarins. This lush indoor exhibit features these critically endangered primates and all their antics.
The Zoo has welcomed two sets of twin cotton-top tamarins since the opening of the exhibit in 2018. These births are vital to the survival of these species in human care and in the wild. These primates are ambassadors for their species and allow Zoo staff to educate guests about ways to protect them in the wild.
The cotton-top tamarin is listed as critically endangered due to deforestation and the pet trade. Nashville Zoo is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Cotton-Top Tamarin Species Survival Plan® and also contributes financially to Proyecto Titi, a conservation program designed to provide useful information to assist in the long-term preservation of this species and others and to develop local community advocates to promote conservation efforts in Colombia.
The other finalists in the 2019 America’s Best Restroom contest included restrooms from:
– LaGuardia Airport — New York City, NY
– Mourad — San Francisco, CA
– Natick Mall — Natick, MA
– New Museum of Contemporary Art — New York City, NY
– Sea-Tac — Seattle, WA
About Nashville Zoo
Nashville Zoo is a nonprofit organization and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, assuring the highest standards of animal care and husbandry. The Zoo is actively engaged in conservation research, habitat protection, breeding programs and education initiatives around the globe as well as in our own backyard. The Zoo attracts more than 1,000,000 visitors annually and is considered one of the top attractions in Nashville. Nashville Zoo is located at 3777 Nolensville Pike and is open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. For more information about Nashville Zoo, visit nashvillezoo.org.
