Zoo Weigh In At Whipsnade
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Sam at the weigh-in |
Hercules beetle at ZSL Whipsnade |
Young Asian elephant calf, Sam, who will turn two years old in September, tipped the scales at an impressive 714kg, while the Hercules beetle – one of the world’s strongest insects and able to lift up to 850 times its own body weight – was recorded at 4.5g.
Logging the statistics of the Zoo’s residents, many of them on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, is vital to ensure the health and wellbeing of each animal can be closely monitored by keepers throughout the year.
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Rockhopper penguin steps on the scales |
With more than 3,300 animals at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, a range of inventive techniques were used to encourage the animals to stand up and be measured, from training the elephants to lift their huge feet to coaxing the meerkats onto the weigh-board with tasty insect treats.
Find out more at www.zsl.org