London Zoo Adorably Weighs All of Its Animals in Annual Event
Zookeepers held breakfast up high so the lions could be measured.
— -- The London Zoo rounded up all of its animals, big and small, to be weighed and measured today for the zoo's annual weigh-in event.
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) zoo, home to more than 17,000 animals, said in a statement that the animals' weights will be added to an international database to share with zoos around the world.
"We have to know the vital statistics of every animal at the zoo – however big or small," Mark Habben, the zoological manager said in a statement. “This information helps us to monitor their health and their diets and by sharing the information with other zoos and conservationists worldwide, we can use this knowledge to better care for all our animals.”
Zookeepers came up with some creative methods to get the animals to cooperate. Penguins were tricked into being weighed when they had to step on the scale while they lined up for their breakfast. Meanwhile, to encourage the tigers and lions to stand up as tall as they could, breakfast was held over their heads while they were being measured.