AssetID: 54999959
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Whipsnade Zoo's animals large and small get annual weigh-in
Caption: Lions, penguins, and a pygmy hippo were just some of the animals who had their vital statistics recorded at Whipsnade Zoo’s 2025 annual weigh-in on , as the conservation zoo brings over 11,000 animals to the weighing scales. Among those measured were a pride of ten northern African lions, including their seven cubs. The cubs are weighed regularly by zookeepers to monitor their growth and development, and were today given a scented board detailing their latest measurements to investigate. Born as part of the conservation breeding programme for their vulnerable species, the precious little ones are just a fraction of the weight of dad Malik, who is almost 200kg. Zookeepers George Spooner and Christina Risbridger encouraged Bactrian camel Sally onto a giant weighboard using her favourite snacks, recording her weight at 385kg. This is over double the weight of her younger brother Ivor, born at the conservation zoo in May this year, who clocks in at 106kg. As important ambassadors for the critically endangered wild camel, recording Ivor and Sally’s weight will help inform vital research for vets, conservationists, and scientists around the globe who are striving to protect these animals in the wild. Pygmy hippo Tapon was tempted over to a measuring stick by a subtle smear of marmite, clocking in at 280kg. Meanwhile, the Zoo’s northern rockhopper colony hopped onto the scales to have their weights noted by zookeeper Natasha Tyrer, who recorded the weight of newly born chick Ozzy as 1.84kg. Finally, Bagot goat Gary was measured by zookeeper Kira Hetherington, with assistance from one of the Zoo’s summer residents – a giant troll. Weighing in at 860kg, Birch the troll is the equivalent of one-and-a-half year old southern white rhino calf, Benja. All the animals’ weights and measurements will be recorded in a shared database called the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), which enables zookeepers around the world to compare important information on thousands of threatened species. Sarah Forsyth, curator of mammals at Whipsnade Zoo, said: “We weigh all of the animals at Whipsnade Zoo regularly throughout the year to keep track of their health, but the annual weigh-in is an opportunity to highlight the expert care our animals always receive. “It can be a tricky task, with zookeepers needing to use clever tactics to tempt the animals to be weighed - usually involving a tasty treat or two! The heaviest animal here is Ming Jung, our male Asian elephant, who weighs a colossal 4,630 kg.” The largest zoo in the UK, Whipsnade Zoo is home to over 11,000 amazing animals, many of whom are sadly endangered in the wild. Every ticket to the conservation zoo supports ZSL’s work to protect threatened species through conservation.
Keywords: feature,video,photo,whipsnade,zoo,animals,nature,natural world,offbeat
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