--- title: "Zoo Officials Horrified by AI Data Center Menacing Their Endangered Animals" description: "The Nashville Zoo in Tennessee is fighting a proposed data center, arguing it could be devastating to animals living in captivity." date: "2026-06-08" modified: "2026-06-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/zoo-officials-horrified-ai-data-center-animals" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Zoo Officials Horrified by AI Data Center Menacing Their Endangered Animals ![Photograph of a mother taking a photo of her two children in front of the entrance sign for the Nashville Zoo.]() *Shutterstock / Futurism* AI data center projects have [become astonishingly unpopular](). Their opposition has garnered strong bipartisan support, quickly turning the facilities into a hot button political issue for the upcoming midterm elections in the US. And it's not just residents in rural America trying to keep out facilities, which have been linked to [rising electricity prices](), [water issues ](), and [copious amounts of noise](). The Nashville Zoo in Tennessee has turned into the latest battleground, with officials arguing that a proposed 69,000-square-foot data center next door could be devastating to animals living in captivity a mere 50 yards away. As [*NBC News* reports](), Southeast Asian clouded leopards, which the zoo is breeding, could be particularly vulnerable. Zookeepers are concerned that the cacophony could stop the creatures from reproducing entirely. The species is listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in the US. They've also proved difficult to breed in captivity and are "sensitive to auditory and visual disturbances," according to the [zoo's website](). "We are vehemently opposed to having a data center so close to animals," Nashville Zoo president and CEO Rick Schwartz told *NBC*. A petition against the data center has already amassed over 180,000 signatures, highlighting widespread opposition to the plan. Courtney Johnston, a local council member whose district encompasses the zoo, has already indicated she will be pushing for a vote on a data center moratorium during a Tuesday meeting. "I’m getting phone calls," she told *NBC*. "I’m getting emails. All of my social media. Text messages. The community is speaking." Nashville mayor Freddie O'Connell has also told reporters that "we have a lot of concerns about the project and have our legal department looking into it." A similar story is playing out at countless council sessions across the nation, with angry residents piling into the chambers to voice their concerns. Beyond concerns about noise pollution, the carbon footprint of these sprawling facilities could grow to staggering proportions, making the zoo's worries over animal conservation particularly ironic. According to a [new report]() by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, AI data centers could consume as much water as the [water needs of 1.3 billion people by 2030](). Meanwhile, DC BLOX, the firm behind the proposed Tennessee data center, has promised to maintain and test "noise levels to measurable and acceptable levels and adhering to all federal and local environmental requirements." It also promised to use a "closed-loop or waterless cooling designs to minimize ongoing water use." But given the strong backlash, the company may already be facing an extremely steep uphill battle to win over support for its plans. **More on data centers:** [*Data Centers Have Become Shockingly Unpopular, Poll Finds*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()