Durrell's audit finds 1,600 animals and 150 species

Staff at Durrell have to count all the animals in the annual audit

Jersey's Durrell Wildlife park has counted 1,600 animals, and more than 150 species in its annual animal audit.

It is legally required to the audit and send it to the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).

The national professional body for zoo management and animal welfare can then renew Durrell's licence.

Durrell's Animal Registrar, Dr Amy Hall, said: "The annual head count is... a useful animal management tool."

She added: "It is relatively simple to count our larger animals but the smaller ones can prove more challenging as they are prone to hiding or moving.

"Fish in particular are tricky to tally up as they move continually."

Last year saw the silverback gorilla Ya Kwanza leave the wildlife park.

He had been there since 1993, but because he had not bred for eight years, he was sent to his new home with a bachelor group of gorillas at La Vallee des Singes, just south of Poitiers, France, in July.

He was replaced by Badongo, a male gorilla born at La Vallee des Singes.

Other new arrivals in 2011 included 22 orange tailed skinks rescued following the invasion of Flat Island, Mauritius, by the predatory Indian musk shrew.