PHOTOCALL: Weigh-day demonstration - giant anteater twins weighed

Photo Opportunity... Photo Opportunity...

Embargoed until 8.00am on Thursday 3rd May 2001

Date: 2nd May 2001
Time: 11.30am
Venue: London Zoo (East Service Gate)
Contact: Joe Laing 020 7449 6236 or Debbie Curtis 020 7449 6363

The question of one's weight is always a touchy subject, but when you get on the scales with a giant anteater, you’ve got a good excuse for a few extra kilos. Sol and Lua, the giant anteater twins at London Zoo, aren’t the most co-operative of animals when it comes to being weighed.

The twins never stay still long enough to be weighed on their own, so keepers from the Web of Life section have to weigh themselves along with the animal. The eight-month-old pair, born at London Zoo, are weighed every two weeks to check that the valuable twins are gaining weight and generally thriving.

"In order to get an accurate indication of their weight, I have to weigh myself first and then gather armfuls of wriggling anteater and weigh us together," commented diminutive Amanda Ferguson, Senior Keeper in the Web of Life. "It really helps to keep track on both our diets!"

Sol and Lua were born in August 2000 to their parents Bonito and Sauna, and are only the second ever set of giant anteater twins to be born in captivity. They are a vital addition to the European breeding programme for this endangered species.

Notes to Editors;

• Sol and Lua’s Diet is made up of a rich mixture of banana, apple, pear, tomato, lean mince beef, rolled oats, peat(!), frozen shrimp, hard boiled eggs, honey, dog biscuits and warm water all blended together using a Robot Coupe Blixer 3 food mixer.

• Sol and Lua are fed twice a day on more than 1,400 grams of food each!

• When first born they needed bottle feeding – now they are almost fully independent of mum and so big they can only ride on her back one at a time.

• For further information please contact;
  Zoological Society of London Public Relations Office:
  Joe Laing: 020 7449 6236
  or
  Debbie Curtis: 020 7449 6363
  Fax: 020 7449 6362
  E-mail: publicrelations@zsl.org