Counting the animals two-by-two
Keepers at ZSL London Zoo are kicking off the new year with a mammoth task - counting every animal for the annual stocktake.
Each individual bird, fish, mammal, invertebrate, reptile and amphibian will be counted by the zoo's keepers today (January 2, 2014). Keepers will also carry out the slow task of counting hundreds of Partula snails, which were moved to the zoo recently ahead of their release into the wild, planned for next year.
Over the past year, the zoo has welcomed a number of new arrivals, including Kumbuka, a silverback western lowland gorilla who joined Gorilla Kingdom's three females as part of the European breeding programme for endangered species.
London zoo also recently celebrated the birth of three spiny headed tree lizards - the first to ever be born in a UK zoo.
The annual stocktake is a compulsory part of the zoo's license and the results are recorded in the International Species Information System (ISIS), which is used to manage international breeding programmes for endangered species.
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
