London Zoo's animals are being checked and measured as part of their annual weigh-in, an essential health check that also gathers valuable data for global

conservation efforts. From Humboldt penguins to camels and lion cubs, zoo staff carefully coax each mammal, bird, reptile, fish, and invertebrate onto the scales by strategically placing food nearby to assess their health and well-being.

The collected data is recorded in the Zoological Information Management System, a global database shared with zoos worldwide, enabling zookeepers to compare information on threatened species.

Angela Ryan, head of zoological operations at London Zoo, emphasized the significance of the weigh-in, which began on Monday and can take up to a week. This process plays a crucial role in gathering data that contributes to the protection of animals in the wild. Despite housing over 14,000 animals, the zoo's keepers will have time to measure and log the weight of approximately 400 creatures during this period. Photo by Michael Pead, Wikimedia commons.