The Lehigh Valley Zoo in winter offers playful and noisy animals

Many of the animals are more playful — and noisy — when the temperatures drop

January 25, 2013|By Kathy Lauer-Williams, Of The Morning Call

The first thing I notice about visiting the Lehigh Valley Zoo in the winter are the sounds.

In the summer, the zoo sounds like people — lots of people. You hear children laughing and yelling, the hum of adult conversation, the drumming of footsteps and the squeak of the swings in the playground.

In the winter, without the crowds, there is an overlying stillness that lets you hear the animals.

At one point, I hear a strange braying call. Was that a donkey?

Actually, it is one of the zoo's troupe of black-footed African penguins, says Richard Rosevear, zoo curator. The penguins are also known as "jackass" penguins because of their donkey-like call.

With Rosevear as my guide, we walk through the zoo, which is home to more than 275 animals.

"We're open all year," Rosevear says. "In the winter you don't have to compete with crowds, and the animals often are more active in cold weather than in hot. The zoo is different but it's still a pretty place."

We next checked in on the playful North American river otters, which have no problem with cold weather. They have a double layer of fat under their skin and water-repellent fur that keeps them dry and warm.

"They're built for it," Rosevear says. "They will swim at any time of the year in the wild. And if the water freezes, they will look for open water."

To accommodate the otters, a circulator keeps the water moving so it doesn't freeze.

As we approached the pond, a pair of Australian black swans start squawking. "That's for your benefit," Rosevear says of the birds. "All swans have great character."

The swans, which also include trumpeter and mute swans, don't mind the cold either.

A long distinctive howl suddenly pierces the quiet. Another follows.

The Mexican gray wolves are announcing their presence. The howling continues as we walk on. "They're enjoying themselves," Rosevear says.

When we approach the wolf exhibit, the two wolves come to the front of the enclosure and eye me up. They're sporting thick gray, brown and white winter coats.

Suddenly, there's a loud scrabbling above my head on the roof of the viewing structure. Several peafowl fly off the roof in a rush of iridescent feathers.

Rosevear says the zoo has added to the free-roaming flock of peafowl, bringing the number to 14. The birds are fed by zookeepers, but also forage and perch in the trees at night.

An emu strolls up to the fence, its neck ruff fluffed up against the cold. The flightless bird's double plume feathers allow it to stay cool at temperatures of up to 120 degrees and keep warm in the cold.

A dromedary camel with a heavy winter coat ambles over. Other animals that have grown heavier coats are the aoudads and domestic animals including the alpacas. The Grant's zebras don't get a winter coat but the animals benefit from an extra layer of fat under their black stripes. The kangaroos, who have heated enclosures, will venture outside to lie on the ice.

Rosevear says animals that live in desert areas can withstand cold because night temperatures in deserts sometimes drop below freezing.

The animals also are given wind blocks and straw to help insulate them. They also get a richer diet to help them build fat.

One animal group that is most active in the winter are the carnivores, which include the wolves.

The bobcat, native to North America, is alert and sits at the front of its cage. When it spots a bird, the cat makes a soft chattering sound and its stubby tail twitches.

In the next enclosure, the Canada lynx has a full winter coat with thick fur covering its paws like snowshoes.

Also in its element is the snowy owl, which has thick plumage and heavily feathered feet, adaptations for the bird's habitat north of the Arctic Circle.

"This is his kind of weather," Rosevear says. "In the summer if it's really warm we have to mist him. And if it gets too hot we have to take him into air conditioning."

Even on the drive out, I get an especially good view of active animals at the elk and bison exhibits, particularly since many trees and bushes are bare for the winter.

A magnificent Rocky Mountain elk buck with woolly fur show his huge antlers, which he won't lose until early spring. A group of elk cows gather nearby. A group of shaggy American bison browses near the fence, and several gallop down a hill.

But not all the residents like the cold.

Surprisingly, an animal that minds extreme cold is the African penguin. The flightless birds, often associated with snow and ice, actually come from the southern coast of Africa and live 30 degrees closer to the equator than we do.

"If it is below freezing, we have to keep them inside to keep them warm," Rosevear says. "If it's above freezing we open the door and let them decide."

Check to see if the penguins are outside daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on The Morning Call's Live Penguin Cam,

Animals you won't see in the winter are reptiles including the tortoises, alligators and crocodiles; and the tropical birds including the lorikeets and the crowned cranes. You'll be lucky to spot a prairie dog since they spend most of the winter underground in their nests. The lemurs on lemur island go inside when the mercury dips below 45 degrees.



What: Visiting the zoo in cold weather holds many advantages, including lower admission fees.

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily through March 31

Where: 5150 Game Preserve Road, Schnecksville

How much: $9.50; free under age 2.

Note: The zoo may close in inclement weather. Call to make sure the zoo is open.

Info: or 610-799-4171

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