Covid-19 pandemic: London Zoo weighs animals following lockdown blues – journey

London Zoo commenced an annual weigh-in on Thursday with keepers eager to obtain out what effect the zoo’s longest closure considering the fact that World War Two has experienced on its animals, obtaining recognized some had suffered lockdown blues.

The just about 200-12 months outdated zoo’s funds have been savaged by the coronavirus that shuttered it until June, but its common 7 days-prolonged weigh-in will give personnel a opportunity to see how its 19,000 animals have been faring.

Zoo keeper Tony Cholerton employs an electronic identification chip reader on a squirrel monkey as it stands on weighing scales at the ZSL London Zoo 2020 weigh-in and measurement, in London, Britain, August 27, 2020.
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REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Assistant Curator of Mammals, Teague Stubbington, said logging of measurements and weights, and in some situations pregnancies, was normally important to the zoo for tracking species’ well being, but this time all over it arrives immediately after a tricky time period for some.

Zoo keeper Mick Tiley documents the excess weight of a Bactrian camel standing on the scales at ZSL London Zoo 2020 weigh-in and measurement, in London, Britain, August 27, 2020.
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REUTERS/Toby Melville
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“The Pygmy goats have been so employed to looking at young children in the course of the working day that (throughout lockdown) they would miss them,” Stubbington explained to Reuters.

“They were truly lining up at the gate to satisfy individuals and then at 10 o’clock (when no just one was there) they ended up dissatisfied,” he included, stating that zoo staff would then try out to cheer them up by going to see them in the course of breaks.

Two grownup otters with their pair of two-thirty day period-aged otter pups move in the direction of weighing scales at ZSL London Zoo 2020 weigh-in and measurement, in London, Britain, August 27, 2020.
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REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Now open to minimal numbers only, ZSL, the intercontinental conservation charity powering the zoo, is calling on the general public to assistance it remain open by reserving a ticket, joining as a member or make donations.

“The reduction of our site visitors and the loss of income has created points seriously challenging,” Stubbington explained. “It has been the longest period of time of closure that we have had since Globe War Two.”

(This story has been printed from a wire company feed without the need of modifications to the textual content. Only the headline has been adjusted.)

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