London Zoo’s “Annual Body Measurements” in the U.K.

Animals are no different in that regular physical checkups are essential for maintaining good health.

On August 25, the London Zoological Gardens in the United Kingdom held its annual physical measurements of its animals. The zoo is run by the Zoological Society of London and was the first scientific zoo in the world, opened about 195 years ago. Its main purpose is to keep a collection of animals for scientific research, and some animals are open to the public.

Currently, more than 19,000 animals of over 800 species are kept there, and every year at this time, physical measurements are taken – and they are taken. The physical measurements are held every year at this time, and it has become a tradition to watch the keepers struggle with the animals, which vary in size, habits, and favorite foods, and which are very restless. They lure the animals with food, create original equipment, and spend a week measuring their height and weight.

For example, in the case of tigers, a special ruler over 2 meters long is placed in front of a tree, and raw meat is placed on top of it. In order to eat the raw meat, the tiger stretches its entire body and jumps. While the tiger, which is good at climbing trees, is clinging to the tree, its body length is measured. This is an idea that only a keeper who comes in contact with them on a regular basis could have come up with.

The latest data obtained in this way is uploaded to the “Animal Information Management System. This data is shared with zoos around the world, and is used for research on breeding and rearing methods for thousands of endangered species.

It is a humorous scene, but it is an essential part of efforts to protect the future of animals.

From the September 30 and October 7, 2022 issues of FRIDAY