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In Pictures: Count us in… animals look to help as zoo launches annual audit

The stocktake takes keepers almost a week to complete.

Pa
Tuesday 04 January 2022 11:45 GMT
A zoo keeper counts squirrel monkeys during the annual stocktake at ZSL London Zoo (Aaron Chown/PA)
A zoo keeper counts squirrel monkeys during the annual stocktake at ZSL London Zoo (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

Penguins monkeys and camels were amongst the first in line as ZSL London Zoo began its annual stocktake.

A zookeeper counts Humboldt penguins during the annual stocktake at ZSL London Zoo (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)
Some of the penguins were curious about the stocktake (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)
Let’s start again… The penguins made it more difficult by turning up all at once (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

Each year, zookeepers armed with clipboards and calculators tally up every creature at the zoo.

Squirrel monkeys were keen to help the count (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)
The monkeys show their maths skills (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)
A squirrel monkey during the annual stocktake at ZSL London Zoo (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

Asiatic lions were among those being tallied up by keepers at the zoo.

Asiatic lions at ZSL London Zoo (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)
The annual stocktake caught the attention of the Asiatic lions (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)
Some of the lions thought it was play time not the annual stocktake (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

The audit takes keepers almost a week to complete and the information is shared with other zoos around the world.

The camels arrived in pairs (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)
Keeper Mick Tiley with bactrian camels during the annual stocktake (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

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