NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — When the African penguins were placed back on exhibit last month at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, they shook out their feathers and soaked up the sunshine.
“You can definitely tell a difference,” zoo General Curator Sara Koplish said.
“A lot of them went in the pool and got a good swim, because their outdoor habitat is a really large pool for them. So I think they definitely appreciated being outside.
“We forget all the different things that are just happening, seeing all the different people, seeing the birds flying. They'll chase bugs around.
"And that’s tough for us to provide for them inside — all the different noises and different types of stimulation that they get from being outside.”
“I think, for most of us, we are somewhat coming to the realization that it's here — it's not going to go away."Amanda Shurr, zoo president
After being off exhibit since early January due to bird flu spreading through the region, the African penguin colony is back in the Jaindl Penguin Pavilion at the zoo’s main entrance.
It’s the second time in recent years the zoo’s birds, including barnyard birds and waterfowl, have been pulled off exhibit because of the virus.
While it seems bird flu cases have waned in the Valley, zoo officials are continuously monitoring case numbers.
Some birds still are off exhibit, and officials have paused encounters and educational programming with birds.
“I think for most of us, we are somewhat coming to the realization that it's here — it's not going to go away,” zoo President Amanda Shurr said.
“You know, the virus is pretty much endemic now. … I just think it's ongoing. I think it's always going to be something we're just going to be continually managing here, unfortunately.
"But I don't think we're alone in that. I think zoos throughout the country are managing it, and looking at their protocols and trying to determine what we can all do the very best way to take care of our animals.”
Bird flu in the Valley
An influenza type A virus, bird flu, also called highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI, or H5N1, is highly contagious and often fatal in birds.
It can be easily spread from bird to bird in some species through direct contact with an infected animal’s mucous membrane, feces and/or blood.
The virus, which hit the United States in 2022, has jumped from birds to dairy cows, as well as other mammals, and has caused one human death.
Since early January, thousands of wild and domestic birds in the Valley have been reported infected, including 5,000 migratory snow geese in Nazareth and Upper Macungie townships and a 50,000-bird egg-laying chicken flock on a commercial farm in Lehigh County.
In early February, the Valley’s two major health networks announced their strategies for the possibility of human cases.
There have been no reported bird flu infections in dairy cows or people in Pennsylvania. Health officials, both locally and nationally, say the risk to people remains low.
Statewide, 18 bald eagles have been euthanized since December because of bird flu symptoms. In mid-March, 350 birds were culled in Lehigh County due to an outbreak at a live bird market.
LehighValleyNews.com reached out to the state Department of Agriculture, asking for more information about the Lehigh County live bird market.
A spokesperson said, “You have all of the publicly available details.”
A second time inside
It marks the second time the penguins, as well as other birds, have been pulled off exhibit because of concerns around bird flu. The first time was in mid-April 2022.
“The last time we had the large outbreak in the Valley, and really, when it started, that was the last time our birds had to come inside to be protected,” Shurr said.
“Our main concern is feces from other birds. Or, you know, one of our birds could eat a smaller bird that might have it.
"Obviously, we're providing their diet. But, they're birds, so you’re never sure what they're going to do.”
All birds were brought inside, except for the emu and ostrich, because the zoo doesn’t have a big enough indoor space to house them, officials said.
“Our birds of prey, our water fowl, our barnyard birds — they all came inside the first time, and that's when we really got to work on doing some habitat modifications,” Shurr said.
“We actually upgraded our whole penguin exhibit during that time.”
Renovations included updating the façade of the building, an effort to give it a more authentic representation of the South African habitat, as well as adding ramps, so older penguins could have easier access.
In addition to upgrading the penguin habitat, zoo officials also used the time to add roofs to the aviaries for the birds of prey and ambassador birds, another layer of protection to ward off the spread of bird flu.
In 2023, the zoo added three more penguins to the colony, bringing the total to 14.
‘Inside for a little bit longer’
While the penguins are back, other species have remained off exhibit.
“Some of the birds are still inside right now, and those are our waterfowl,” Koplish said. “So we have swans and Egyptian geese that are still inside.
“That is because their pond does still attract some wild birds. So we want to make sure that we're not attracting them to come and hang out with our birds.”
“They are probably gonna be inside for a little bit longer."Lehigh Valley Zoo President Amanda Shurr
In addition, the zoo’s “barnyard friends,” such as chickens, still are inside.
“They are probably gonna be inside for a little bit longer, because we are getting ready to do some construction in that area of the zoo,” Shurr said.
“So it's a little bit of a two-prong reason for them to be inside right now.
“Once we have some space for them, covered space, they'll get outside, too, but they probably won't be visible in the zoo until we get the barn completed later this year.”
Last month, zoo officials announced a $10 million renovation and construction project.
The two-year, four-phase project focuses on the lower part of the zoo. Called the Children’s Activity Area, the project will include a new accessible playground, splash pad, new barn and education center.
For the time being, bird-centered education programs and encounters are paused, too.
“We are on hold on using any of our bird species for programming,” Koplish said. “When we change our different tiers, we do have encounters and programming.
“We'll make some changes to those, either depending on the location of them, or we'll ask guests to wear additional [personal protective equipment] during that encounter.
"But we'll have to wait and see. Hopefully, in the future, if we don't have any cases in the Valley, we can start opening those back up.”
