The animals come in two by two thousand for annual stocktake
Tuesday 4 January 2011
It certainly would be easier if the animals came in two by two... but that's not the case at ZSL London Zoo's stocktake where the animals can sometimes come in two by two thousand.
Zookeepers at the world famous Zoo have been undertaking their annual headcount, by carrying out a stocktake with a difference.
With over 16,000 different creatures calling the Zoo home including over 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles, zookeepers are set for quite a challenge.
Adding aardvarks, multiplying monkeys and doubling dragons is a mammoth task considering there are over 700 different species of animals at the Zoo.
And it's been a busy 12 months at the London attraction with the addition of a new baby gorilla, a pair of cheeky emperor tamarins and hundreds of tiny baby seahorses.
The Zoo's new Rainforest Life exhibit, which opened in March 2010, means that more animals than ever before need to be counted, including two golden-head lion tamarins, two two-toed sloths and a tree anteater – all of which will be individually counted by zookeepers.
This is also the first year that the Zoo's famous penguins will not be included in the stocktake, as they are being moved to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo whilst construction starts on Penguin Beach , their new £2 million home opening in May 2011.
Last year was a baby bumper year for ZSL London Zoo welcoming new residents galore! These animals and more will all be included and counted during the headcount.
