Chester Zoo animals counted in annual stock take
- Published
Chester Zoo has carried out its annual stocktake of more than 400 species housed within its walls. The zoo's grand total last year was 11,352 animals.
Andrea Swatman, team manager of the zoo's aquarium, counted Chester's yellow-spotted Amazon river turtles. Zoos must carry out the count by law in order to comply with the Zoo Licensing Act 1981.
Chester Zoo has three red pandas. The animal is classed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as its wild number is estimated at under 10,000.
Lucy Edwards, lead keeper, had the relatively simple task of counting the zoo's sloths. Heather Prince, herpetology keeper, said "trying to count the hundreds of butterflies and moths or thousands of insects is a bit more of challenge."
Bell’s anglehead lizards, counted during the stock take, are native to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The zoo said "very little" was known about the rare species.
This Malaysian leaf katydid is one of 100 housed at the zoo. Since 2013, all of the zoo's insects have been included in the count.
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