14,000 animals of London Zoo get their annual weigh-in

Staff at London Zoo got the measure of giant gorillas, plump penguins and skinny stick insects at the zoo’s annual animal weigh-in on Thursday. Zookeepers tempted squirrel monkeys onto scales with treats, totted up tarantulas and used a curry-scented measuring stick to coax Sumatran tigers to stretch out.

Staff at the zoo, which is home to some 14,000 animals, will take several days to weigh and measure every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate in its care.

 A keeper inspects a Tirachoidea Stick Insect. AP

The results go into a database that is shared with zoos around the world. "We record the vital statistics of every animal at the zoo – from the tallest giraffe to the tiniest tadpole," said Angela Ryan, the facility's head of zoological operations.

 A Squirrel monkey is tempted onto a set of scales to be weighed during London Zoo's Annual Weigh In. AP

Associated Press