Nearly 600,000 sign petition opposing data centre beside Nashville Zoo

A clouded leopard cub has become the face of a campaign against a proposed data centre beside Nashville Zoo, where nearly 600,000 people have signed a petition opposing the project.

The facility, proposed by digital infrastructure company DC BLOX, would occupy about 69,220 square feet on a 23.49-acre property at 648 Grassmere Park, immediately next to the zoo. The zoo says a site operating around the clock could bring persistent mechanical noise from cooling systems and generators, as well as artificial light and other infrastructure impacts.

Zoo officials argue that these conditions could affect animal behaviour, biological rhythms and breeding programmes, particularly for species involved in conservation work. They say the concern is not simply the size of the building, but the cumulative effect of a continuously operating industrial facility next to animal habitats.

The zoo launched its Change.org petition on June 3, 2026. It passed 400,000 signatures within days and continued growing through the summer. By late August, the zoo said almost 600,000 people had signed, while the petition page displayed more than 599,000 verified signatures.

Mayuree, born at the zoo on May 5, 2026, became a symbol of the campaign. She was Nashville Zoo’s 51st clouded leopard born since 1991 and the first cub there to be co-reared under the zoo’s programme, combining maternal care with early human socialisation. The zoo participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for clouded leopards, making successful breeding part of its conservation work. The dispute has also prompted Nashville officials to restrict large data centres and authorise steps that could allow the city to acquire the property.