Lehigh Valley Zoo has the honor of advancing to the Elite Eight in Discover Lehigh Valley’s Lehigh Valley Lunacy contest! Thank you to all of our supporters who have been voting for us throughout the contest.

Lehigh Valley Lunacy is a bracket-style contest featuring 64 of the Valley’s attractions, restaurants, hotels and events. The contest culminates in a final Championship round on March 25-27, with the winner being announced on March 29.

Show your support for Lehigh Valley Zoo by voting and help us get to the Final Four!

Vote Now!

Lehigh Valley Zoo has made it to the “Sweet Sixteen” in Discover Lehigh Valley’s Lehigh Valley Lunacy!

Lehigh Valley Lunacy is a bracket-style contest featuring 64 of the Valley’s attractions, restaurants, hotels and events. The contest culminates in a final Championship round on March 25-27, with the winner being announced on March 29.

Show your support for Lehigh Valley Zoo by voting and help us get to the “Elite Eight”!

Vote Now!

We’re excited to introduce a freshly-revamped website.  In working with Red Ocean Creative, we redesigned the site to provide a more user-friendly experience for visitors to access the latest news, learn more about educational opportunities at the zoo and embrace our conservation message.  We are also making improvements in how people can contribute to the zoo, whether that be by buying tickets online, registering for memberships or adopting an animal, among other things.

This new site was slated to be a winter project for Lehigh Valley Zoo staff.  However, with significant interest in our current Winter Light Spectacular fundraising event, we wanted to roll out a soft launch of the site. Continuous enhancements will be communicated and we welcome your feedback.

Come behind the scenes to meet the Lehigh Valley Zoo Animal Ambassadors where they live in the Zoomagination Wing of the Administration Building! Open every day from 10:00 am-12:00 pm, you have the opportunity to visit a variety of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians cared for by the Education staff. A staff member will be the in the room with you to answer questions, and may even take one of the animals out for some exercise or enrichment while you are here.

Our newest education program launched this year with great success is the Wonders of Wildlife show, an interactive and informative thirty-minute animal encounter. Three of our Ambassador Animals, which include native and exotic birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, will be presented by our professional Conservation Educators with information about their natural history, conservation, and things you can do to aid the species. Some animals are able to be touched, and all animals are welcome to be photographed. The show is at 1:00 pm every day, located in either the Zoomagination Wing of the Administration Building or the Amphitheatre behind the building. Admission is 3 tokens per person, children under 2 come free.

Lehigh Valley Zoo, as well as presenting sponsor Christmas Décor, are set to begin the second season of Winter Light Spectacular on Saturday, November 14.  Last season, the popular nighttime fundraiser for the Zoo attracted over 40,000 guests across 35 event nights.  This season’s Winter Light Spectacular will feature 33 scheduled event nights on Wednesday through Sunday from November 14, 2015, to January 3, 2016.

For the upcoming season, Lehigh Valley Zoo and Christmas Décor have enhanced the entire Winter Light Spectacular experience, raising the bar with new technology, more prominent displays and improved value to guests.

The biggest addition to this year’s event are Musical Light Shows, featuring themes around Star Wars, Frozen and Minions, as well as some classic holiday tunes.  Over 3,000 hours of programming went into these shows, which will have the best in lighting technology including RGB, LED and strobe.  These shows will take place in the Zoo’s Otter Stadium, which makes for an amazing 360-degree experience.

All in all, Winter Light Spectacular will feature nearly one million energy conserving lights, three state-of-the-art musical light shows, eight distinctly-themed display areas, popular holiday movies, cozy fire pits, giant snow globes, a live reindeer and treat stations featuring seasonal favorites s’mores and hot chocolate.  In addition, this special event will include an opportunity for professional photographs with Santa Claus in partnership with Dan’s Camera City.

In an effort to accommodate an expected increase in attendance this year, Lehigh Valley Zoo has partnered with LANta to provide bus transportation to Winter Light Spectacular on select Wednesdays and Fridays.  People are encouraged to check the LANta schedule for departure times and ticketing fees.

Winter Light Spectacular runs 5:30-10:00 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday from November 14, 2015, to January 3, 2016.  The event will be on break for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas.  Tickets for this Lehigh Valley Zoo fundraiser are $14 for adults and $9 for children aged 2-11.  Lehigh Valley Zoo is located at 5150 Game Preserve Road, P.O. Box 519, Schnecksville, PA 18078.  For more information, please visit www.lvzoo.org.

The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) today announced that Lehigh Valley Zoo was granted accreditation by AZA’s independent Accreditation Commission.

“The Association of Zoos and Aquariums only accredits zoos and aquariums that meet the highest standards in animal care and welfare,” said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy. “When people visit Lehigh Valley Zoo, they can be assured that they are supporting a facility that is a leader in the care and conservation of wildlife.”

To be accredited, Lehigh Valley Zoo underwent a thorough review to ensure it has and will continue to meet rising standards, which include animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education, and safety. AZA requires zoos and aquariums to successfully complete this rigorous accreditation process every five years in order to be members of the Association.

The accreditation process includes a detailed application and a meticulous on-site inspection by a team of trained zoo and aquarium professionals. The inspecting team observes all aspects of the institution’s operation, including animal care; keeper training; safety for visitors, staff and animals; educational programs; conservation efforts; veterinary programs; financial stability; risk management; visitor services; and other areas.  Finally, top officials are interviewed at a formal hearing of AZA’s independent Accreditation Commission, after which accreditation is granted, tabled, or denied.  Any institution that is denied may reapply one year after the Commission’s decision is made.

Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal welfare, education, science, and recreation. AZA is the accrediting body for the top zoos and aquariums in the United States and seven other countries. Look for the AZA accreditation logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. The AZA is a leader in saving species and your link to helping animals all over the world. To learn more, visit www.aza.org.

As a non-profit organization, Lehigh Valley Zoo is eleven years young, but as a treasured community landmark, our history spans over a century.  Lehigh Valley Zoo, located in the heart of the Trexler Nature Preserve, is home to more than 325 animal ambassadors representing over 125 species.    The Zoo’s animal collection includes 22 species collectively managed through Species Survival Plan Program™ (SSP), administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  As a means to share important conservation messaging with Zoo guests and contribute to field conservation, the Zoo contributes to, participates in, and initiates wildlife conservation programs at home and in the field.  The Zoo’s full-circle conservation projects spotlight: Spotted Turtle (local), Eastern Spadefoot Toad (local), Mexican Gray Wolf (national), African Penguin (international), Scimitar-horned Oryx (international), Prehensile-tailed Porcupine (international), and Aoudad (international).

Source: AZA Press Release

Lehigh Valley Zoo has a new resident.  On September 11, a Prehensile Tailed Porcupine, also known as a Brazilian Porcupine, was born.  The baby porcupine is currently receiving care from Lehigh Valley Zoo education and veterinary staff.  This marks the second Lehigh Valley Zoo birth in the past year after a Scimitar Horned Oryx was born in April.

The Prehensile Tailed Porcupine (Coendou Prehensilis) is one of twenty-two species at the Zoo that are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP) program.  Prehensile-Tailed Porcupines live in forests between 150-2500 meters in elevation. They occur both in coastal and Amazonian areas of Peru. This species dwells in rainforest type habitats. Deforestation is taking place in these rain forested areas to grow crops. This is causing an area previously very diverse in species to become less inhabitable to animals.  As part of the SSP initiative, the baby porcupine will eventually be transferred to another zoo to be part of the organization’s breeding program.

Guests can visit Lehigh Valley Zoo every day from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. General Admission tickets at $13.00 for adults, $12.00 for seniors 65 years and older, and $11.00 for children ages 2-11.  Lehigh Valley Zoo is located at 5150 Game Preserve Road, P.O. Box 519, Schnecksville, PA 18078.

Lehigh Valley Zoo will be closing at 12PM today, Monday May 3. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Those who purchased admission for Monday May 3 will be contacted with information about ticket transfers.