Lions and tigers and bears (and a chameleon named Peachy!): Zookeepers at Whipsnade Zoo begin their annual inventory of more than 11,000 animals

From lions and tigers to bears and a chameleon named Peachy, the mammoth task of counting more than 11,000 animals for Whipsnade Zoo’s annual inventory has begun.

Every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate animal will be weighed and measured as part of the mammoth undertaking.

However, not all creatures at Bedfordshire Zoo are willing participants.

This means keepers must use clever tactics to entice the animals to get up and be measured, such as ‘tempting’ penguins to walk over the scale during their morning feed, or luring camels onto giant weighing boards with a tasty treat. snack.

London Zoo will also conduct a similar inventory later this week.

Eurasian brown bear Minnie is measured during the annual inventory at Whipsnade Zoo

Among those counted so far at Whipsnade Zoo are a Bactrian camel named Oakley and a critically endangered blue-throated macaw named Stilton.

European brown bears Minnie, Mana and Naya — who arrived at the conservation zoo in April as part of a global captive breeding program — also took part in their first annual weigh-in.

They measured over six feet against their giant rulers after being tempted by a drizzle of honey.

Zookeeper Tim Savage said: ‘All animals at Whipsnade Zoo are regularly weighed and measured, but today’s annual weigh-in is an opportunity to review the information we have recorded and ensure it is up-to-date and accurate.

“With so many animals with different personalities, we have to come up with creative tactics to lure them onto the scales; from luring our 2.5kg leaping lemurs onto the scales in exchange for their favorite sweet corn or using honey to encourage our European brown bears to stretch to their full length against giant rulers.

“Minnie and Mana have proven that bears will do anything to taste honey!”

All weights and measurements of the animals will be recorded in a shared database called the Zoological Information Management System, which will also be used by London Zoo staff for their inventory.

This helps zookeepers around the world compare key information about thousands of endangered species.

Carrying out weight checks and waist measurements not only helps staff monitor the welfare of the animals, but also enables them to identify pregnant animals.

Getting Measured: A giant red-legged centipede named Tina is weighed by keeper Elliott Rose

Among those counted so far at Bedfordshire Zoo is a critically endangered blue-throated macaw named Stilton

Give us a treat! The caretakers had to lure the camels with a tasty snack on giant weighing plates

One ring-tailed lemur hops onto another while student zookeeper Mark Wallington operates a scale

Tyrone the spiny tortoise is weighed in today at the annual weigh-in at Whipsnade Zoo

Not only that, but it also provides important information for their care, as well as their species, as many are endangered in the wild and part of conservation breeding programs.

Whipsnade is home to over 11,000 animals, including a herd of Asian elephants.

Last year, the conservation zoo celebrated the birth of the endangered Asian elephant calf, Nang Phaya, as well as the arrival of a reticulated giraffe calf named after war poet Wilfred Owen.

A critically endangered Visayan warthog was also added to the zoo’s official records in 2022, along with hundreds of critically endangered and extinct freshwater fish bred at the zoo’s aquarium and freshwater conservation breeding center.

Sit still! Zookeeper Elizabeth Brown weighs Stilton the blue-throated macaw

European brown bears Minnie (pictured), Mana and Naya — who arrived at the conservation zoo in April as part of a global captive breeding program — took part in their first annual weigh-in

All weights and measurements of the animals are recorded in a shared database, the Zoological Information Management System

Whipsnade is home to over 11,000 animals, including these ring-tailed lemurs