Lehigh Valley Health Network is the Official Motherhood Partner of the LV Zoo

(Schnecksville, PA) – We have some exciting news about our Scimitar Horned Oryx herd at the Zoo! As part of the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Lehigh Valley Zoo is committed to helping animals in the wild. One of the ways we do that is by participating in the Species Survival Program (SSP).

Scimitar Horned Oryx are extinct in the wild and Lehigh Valley Zoo has been fortunate enough to have many generations of oryx born here. So, in conjunction with AZA and SSP, we are sending some of our herd to a new home to continue our breeding and repopulation efforts. Munchkin, Peaches, Sonny, and Graham will join a new herd at a Source Population Alliance (SPA) reserve to roam and breed with a larger population of oryx.

The SPA is “a group of private landowners, Conservation Centers, and zoos who dedicate their unique resources to creating sustainable populations of wildlife that serve as dependable reservoirs for conservation”. Their goal is to “produce more funds for conservation, management, scientific research, and population sustainability, improve awareness, and return populations to their native habitat”.

At the reserve, our oryx will continue to be an important part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP). This relocation is crucial as it allows more diversification of oryx genes both on the reserve and in our own herd right here at the Lehigh Valley Zoo. When an oryx at the Zoo is moved, it creates room for another oryx to join the herd if it is found to be a suitable pair under the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). A diverse gene pool is vital for the survival of oryx and those who are released back into the wild to keep populations thriving and healthy.

What does this mean for our herd at home? Well, we have some new additions! Since 2017, the Lehigh Valley Zoo has seen the birth of 9 calves. Last year we welcomed Maha, and Hasani. This year we welcomed another Oryx calf born in March of 2021!

Oryx calves keep mom and the animal care staff busy. As soon as our calves are born our veterinarians do prenatal exams to ensure calves are healthy just like our partners at Lehigh Valley Health Network carefully monitor the health of human newborns. After prenatal checks, our animal care staff will monitor welfare and milestones to make sure the baby is growing up big, strong, and healthy. This monitoring includes keeping a close eye on mom. When starting introductions with the rest of our herd, the keeper staff will be closely watching while our baby gets to know everyone. You may see our newest calf on exhibit with the herd, or she may be back in her bedroom, whatever mom and baby think is best that day.

Lehigh Valley Zoos is honored and thrilled to be part of such a monumental cause and wishes the members of our herd success as they find new pairs. We’d like to thank our staff for taking such good care of our animals and our guests as well for supporting their local zoo to make moments like this possible! In addition, we’d like to thank our sponsor, Lehigh Valley Health Network, who is the official Motherhood Partner of the Lehigh Valley Zoo.

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Lehigh Valley Health Network includes eight hospital campuses, three in Allentown, one in Bethlehem, one in East Stroudsburg, one in Hazleton and two in Pottsville, Pa.; Coordinated Health, which includes two hospital campuses, nearly two dozen multispecialty locations including ambulatory surgery centers and orthopedic injury centers in northeastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey; 26 health centers; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices; 22 ExpressCARE locations including the area’s only Children’s ExpressCARE; pharmacy, imaging, home health, rehabilitation and lab services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred. Specialty care includes: trauma care for adults and children, burn care at the Regional Burn Center; kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer, orthopedics, neurology, complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, and robotic surgery in 10 specialties. Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute, Lehigh Valley Heart Institute and Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence physicians provide the most advanced treatments. Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute is a member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, an initiative that helps community providers improve the quality of cancer care and offers access to MSK clinical trials. Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, the community’s only children’s hospital, provides care in more than 30 specialties and general pediatrics. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest is the region’s only hospital nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report for orthopedics and has been recognized among Pennsylvania’s top five hospitals for six consecutive years. Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest, LVH–17th Street and LVH–Muhlenberg are the region’s only Magnet® hospitals for nursing excellence. Additional information is available by visiting www.LVHN.org/motherhood, or following us on Facebook and Twitter.

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As a member-supported non-profit organization, Lehigh Valley Zoological Society was founded in 2004, but as a treasured community landmark, the Zoo’s history spans over a century. Founded in 1906 by General Harry C. Trexler, a local industrialist, the Lehigh Valley’s Trexler Game Preserve has educated and entertained 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. With a mission to create a safe, engaging and enlightening wildlife experience for guests of all ages, the Zoo demonstrates leadership in the cultural, scientific and conservation communities. To learn more about Lehigh Valley Zoo, we invite you to visit our website, www.lvzoo.org, or follow us on Facebook @LVZOO.