From tiger to tarantula, London Zoo holds annual animal weigh-in

The zoo staff London took measurements of large gorillas, chubby penguins and skinny stick insects at the park’s annual weigh-in Thursday.

Keepers lured squirrel monkeys with fruit, raised tarantulas and used a curry-scented yardstick to coax Sumatran tigers to stretch.

Home to some 14,000 animals, the zoo will take several days to weigh and measure every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate entrusted to its care. The results are entered into a database that zoos around the world have access to.

“We record the vital data of each animal, from the tallest giraffe to the tiniest tadpole,” said Angela Ryan, the zoo’s chief of operations.

Weight is a vital piece of information that indicates a child’s health and even if she’s pregnant, Ryan said.

“There are critically endangered animals here”, said. “It is absolutely vital that we take care of them, take care of their health, raise them well and have offspring that can in turn have offspring.”

Source: AP