What's a common characteristic of clouded leopards, Komodo dragons, and Sumatran tigers? Their habitats are all close to data centers — at least, if the proposal by DC Blox's to build a facility right next to the Nashville Zoo comes to pass. The 1.6-acre facility (69,000 sqft.) buildout is in the permit stage, but already raising more than a few issues both with the zoo itself and concerned Nashville residents, as evidenced by an online petition that counts over 322,000 signatories as of this writing.
The Nashville Zoo published a post in its blog detailing its major concerns. Besides the obvious concern about the power draw and its impact on the local grid, the zoo claims the facility could add to noise and light pollution, as well as lower the water quality in the surrounding areas. Altogether, those factors might have a negative impact on a number of hosted species and breeding programs, including the zoo's famous clouded leopards, animals "notoriously sensitive to any mechanical noise."
