Lehigh Valley Zoo

Lehigh Valley Zoo is home to 300+ animals representing 88 species, of which 24 are classified as endangered, threatened or species of concern. As a member-supported non-profit organization, Lehigh Valley Zoological Society is nine years young, but as a treasured community landmark, our history spans over a century. Founded in 1906 by General Harry C. Trexler, a local industrialist, the Lehigh Valleys Trexler Game Preserve has educated and entertained more than five million people. General Trexler played a significant role in saving the North American bison from extinction by providing a place where both bison and elk could roam freely undisturbed. In 1935, the County of Lehigh took ownership of the Preserve, and in 1974, construction began on the Preserve’s 29-acre Children’s Zoo. In 2004, the Lehigh Valley Zoological Society assumed management of the Zoo, as well as the daily management of the bison and elk herd and the palominos in the 1,100-acre Trexler Nature Preserve. General attendance at Lehigh Valley Zoo grew from 63,000 visitors in 2005 to over 125,000 visitors in 2012 and over 35,000 students participated in our formal education programs. In 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Zoo was voted Best Family Day Trip in The Morning Call’s Readers’ Choice Awards.