How Do You Weigh 17,000 Animals?

Laura Reynolds
By Laura Reynolds Last edited 103 months ago
How Do You Weigh 17,000 Animals?
Buzz the penguin chick hops on the scales

More than 17,000 animals live at ZSL London Zoo, and yesterday keepers spent the day weighing and measuring many of them.

The regular weigh-ins help keepers to monitor the health of the animals. The information they gather is shared with zoos around the world, to help with breeding and conservation programmes.

Yesterday, all manner of animals from young penguin chicks to giant tortoises took to the scales, some more willingly than others. Penguins were weighed as they lined up for their morning feed, and the tortoises were trained to walk over scales in their paddock.

emperor-tamerin-web.jpg
An emperor tamarin gets weighed.
frog-for-web.jpg
A frog examines the records closely.
penguins.jpg
Penguin Beach is home to around 60 penguins...
penguins_2.jpg
...each one has to be weighed individually.
camel.jpg
A bactrian camel is measured.
snails.jpg
Some of the smaller creatures to be weighed.
owl.jpg
An owl on a perch on the scales.

Last Updated 27 August 2015