Annual Stocktake of over 11,000 Animals at Whipsnade Zoo, Including a Chameleon Named Peachy

From lions and tigers to bears and a chameleon named Peachy, the mammoth task of counting more than 11,000 animals for Whipsnade Zoo’s annual inventory has begun.

All mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates will be weighed and measured as part of the herculean undertaking.

However, not all of the creatures at Bedfordshire Zoo are willing to take part.

This means keepers have to use clever tactics to entice animals to stand up and be measured, such as ‘tricking’ penguins into walking on a scale during their morning feeding or coaxing camels into sitting down. climb onto giant weighing boards with a tasty snack.

London Zoo will also carry out a similar inventory later this week.

Among those counted at Whipsnade Zoo so far are a domestic Bactrian camel named Oakley and a critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw named Stilton.

European brown bears Minnie, Mana and Naya, who arrived at the conservation zoo in April as part of a global breeding program, also took part in their first annual weigh-in.

They measured over 6 feet against their giant rulers after being tempted by a pinch of honey.

Zookeeper Tim Savage said: “All animals at Whipsnade Zoo are regularly weighed and measured, but today’s annual weigh-in is an opportunity to review the information we have recorded and ensure it is up to date and accurate.”

‘With so many animals with different personalities, we have to come up with creative tactics to lure them into the balance; from luring our 2.5kg jumping lemurs onto the scales in exchange for their favorite candy corn or using honey to encourage our European brown bears to stretch out to their full height against giant rulers.

‘Minnie and Mana proved that bears really would do anything for a taste of honey!’

All animal weights and measurements will be recorded in a shared database called the Zoological Information Management System, which will also be used by London Zoo staff for their inventory.

This helps zookeepers around the world to compare important information on thousands of threatened species.

Performing weight checks and waist measurements not only help staff monitor animal welfare, but also allows them to identify pregnant creatures.

Not only that, but it provides important information for their care, as well as for their species, as many are threatened in the wild and are part of conservation breeding programs.

Whipsnade is home to more than 11,000 animals, including a herd of Asian elephants.

Just last year, the conservancy zoo celebrated the birth of the endangered Asian elephant calf, Nang Phaya, as well as the arrival of a reticulated giraffe calf named after the war poet Wilfred Owen.

A critically endangered Visayan warty sucker was also added to the zoo’s official records in 2022, along with hundreds of critically endangered and extinct freshwater fish that were bred in the zoo’s aquarium and breeding center. of fresh water conservation.