Post by Jeff on Jan 5, 2011 18:56:39 GMT -5
London Zoo is home to more than 16 000 creatures and an annual cataloguing of the zoo's residents - from meerkats to millipedes - got under way on Tuesday. The final tally could take up to four weeks.
Zoo keepers say counting up large mammals such as lions or gorillas is faster - and easier - than tracking the tiniest insects and hundreds of butterflies on the premises.
New additions to the zoo making their census debut include two golden-head lion tamarins, two two-toed sloths and a baby gorilla. Penguins are exempt from the count this year as the birds are being sent to another zoo while their new enclosure is built.
Zoo keepers say counting up large mammals such as lions or gorillas is faster - and easier - than tracking the tiniest insects and hundreds of butterflies on the premises.
New additions to the zoo making their census debut include two golden-head lion tamarins, two two-toed sloths and a baby gorilla. Penguins are exempt from the count this year as the birds are being sent to another zoo while their new enclosure is built.