Weighing animals is a heavy responsibility for zookeepers
KEEPERS AT London Zoo have begun their annual weigh-in to check the health of all the animals.
From goats to gorillas, about 200 animals will be weighed over several days.
The results are recorded to a database which is shared among zoos around the world.
Zoological manager Mark Habben said: “Probably one of the most valuable things we get to do at this point is to weigh some of the baby animals.
“We’ve had several primates, squirrel monkeys for example, we’ve got two babies in there, and being able to weigh them just enables us to tell that they’re growing correctly, we don’t need to make any dietary changes for them.
“It also enables us to tell if an animal is pregnant on some occasions.”
When the data is in, it will be uploaded to Zims, the Zoological Information Management System.
Sharing statistics such as how heavy a penguin is when it hatches can help other zoos ensure their animals are normal and healthy.
Comparing the data year on year can also help the zoo track the growth rates of the animals.
The heaviest animal at ZSL London zoo is one of the female giraffes, who comes in at 852kg, whilst the lightest animal, a leaf cutter ant, weighs between three and five milligrams.