County of Lehigh and LV Zoo Celebrate Arrival of Baby Bison
Schnecksville, Pa.) — The County of Lehigh, in conjunction with Lehigh Valley Zoo, is thrilled to announce a new addition to the bison herd. Born on June 8, this zoo-born expands the herd to 11 members and marks its first birth since June 11, 2023.
The calf is the first birthed by its three-year-old mother; and both are in excellent health and currently under the attentive care of staff and dedicated veterinarians. The sex of the calf is currently unknown, but will be learned in the upcoming days.
Bison offspring, known as calves, are typically born after a gestation period of approximately nine months. Calves are precocial, meaning they are relatively independent and mobile shortly after birth. They can stand and walk within a few hours of being born, and they start nursing from their mothers almost immediately. Bison calves have a reddish-brown coloration, which gradually darkens as they mature. Lehigh Valley Health Network is the official motherhood partner of the LV Zoo.
Nestled within the picturesque, nearly 2,000-acre Trexler Nature Preserve, the bison enjoy a serene habitat. LV Zoo has been entrusted by Lehigh County to provide exceptional care for the elk and bison in the Preserve for more than 20 years. As a part of its steadfast commitment to conservation, LV Zoo manages the size of the bison herd and is active with other conservation partners to help ensure the health and longevity of the herd. In December 2025, LV Zoo, Lehigh County, Wildlife Restoration Foundation (WRF) and Seneca Nation of Indians (SNI) successfully relocated four bison bulls from the Preserve to Seneca Nation lands in New York. This second relocation marked a special achievement for the budding Zoo-Tribe Partnership facilitated by WRF between LV Zoo and Seneca Nation and a milestone on the path toward creating a conservation herd at the Trexler Nature Preserve that can serve as model of keeping bison wild and contributing to grasslands recovery on a small scale.
The Zoo aims to support a leading model for conserving wild bison traits, behaviors and ecosystem benefits through small herd management and partnerships, including with Tribal buffalo programs to protect the species while preserving North America’s cultural heritage. This initiative leverages the expertise of LV Zoo staff, Seneca Nation, WRF, the InterTribal Buffalo Council (TBC) and various federal, state and Tribal entities; private conservancies and zoological facilities to manage the health, abundance and habitats of bison herds across the country.
Guests can view the herd upon departing LV Zoo when exiting through the Trexler Nature Preserve. LV Zoo is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at lvzoo.org.
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About Jefferson
Lehigh Valley Health Network is now proudly part of Jefferson Health. Nationally ranked, Jefferson, which is principally located in the Greater Philadelphia region, Lehigh Valley and northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value. Jefferson is more than 65,000 people strong, dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow’s professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students.Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 32 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans is a not-for-profit managed health care organization providing a broad range of health coverage options in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 35 years.
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As a member-supported non-profit organization, Lehigh Valley Zoological Society was founded in 2004, but it has been treasured community landmark for centuries. Located in the Lehigh Valley’s Trexler Nature Preserve, the mission of the Lehigh Valley Zoo is to connect its community with nature to empower people to protect wildlife. We have achieved our mission and educated more than five million people. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Lehigh Valley Zoo hosts year-round, family-friendly events and activities, educational programs, and camps. To learn more about Lehigh Valley Zoo, we invite you to visit our website, www.lvzoo.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
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