The Zoo's resident penguin population will take part in the annual weigh-in (C)ZSL
Annual weigh-in dates scheduled for ZSL Whipsnade and London Zoos
Zookeepers at London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo are dusting off their scales and tape measures as they prepare for the conservation zoos’ annual weigh-ins later this month, where every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate across the zoos will be weighed and measured.
With different personalities to take into account, zookeepers have to use clever tactics to entice the animals to stand up and be measured; ’tricking’ penguins into walking over scales one by one as they line up for their morning feed or coaxing camels onto giant weigh boards with a tasty snack.
Zookeepers at the conservation zoos spend hours throughout the year recording the heights and weights of all the animals – vital information which helps them to monitor their health and well-being.
The annual weigh-in is an opportunity to make sure the information they’ve recorded is up-to-date and accurate, with each measurement then added to the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), a database shared with zoos all over the world that helps zookeepers to compare important information on thousands of endangered species.
