P-p-p pick up a penguin to see if it's p-p-p put on weight
Samuel Muston
Thursday 23 August 2012
ty summer almost three months ago, I’ve had no more than 10 shifts at my
I would love to weigh a penguin. I wouldn't mind assessing a stoat,
either, or taking the inside leg measurements of a baby giraffe. A
tarantula spider, however – well, not so much. At London Zoo this week,
however, it isn't just the warm-eyed, cuddly creatures that will be
given a once-over as part of the annual "weigh-in."
Some 16,000 creatures from 750 species will be coaxed from their
slumbers and cajoled onto the scales and against measuring posts, like
some giant animal version of a WeightWatchers meeting. The difference:
it doesn't matter if the parakeets or meerkats have put on an ounce or
two. In fact, it might possibly be a good thing, according to Adrian
Walls, the head of the bird section at the Zoo.
"We weigh because it is a very good indication of an animal's long-term health and because each animal has a unique number with ZIMS (the international Zoological Information Management System)," he says. "We do this each year so we can spot trends or problems in an animal's long-term well-being. It's like updating a health passport."
Not only does this allow them to track the health of animals in the zoo in London but also the long term-health of that species. All very worthy and serious work – but I confess I would still just want to weigh a penguin for the Lolz. In fact, says Walls, the penguins are the least Lol-worthy when it comes to weighing.
"You try to coax them onto the scales and they just want to jump in the pool – you have to follow them in sometimes."
What I really want, he says, are the hornbills: "You give them one command and they weigh themselves." Takes the labour out of things, I'm sure, but where's the fun in that?
source
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Vicky Fyson trainee keeper of Birds weighing the Penguins(Paul Grover)
"We weigh because it is a very good indication of an animal's long-term health and because each animal has a unique number with ZIMS (the international Zoological Information Management System)," he says. "We do this each year so we can spot trends or problems in an animal's long-term well-being. It's like updating a health passport."
Not only does this allow them to track the health of animals in the zoo in London but also the long term-health of that species. All very worthy and serious work – but I confess I would still just want to weigh a penguin for the Lolz. In fact, says Walls, the penguins are the least Lol-worthy when it comes to weighing.
"You try to coax them onto the scales and they just want to jump in the pool – you have to follow them in sometimes."
What I really want, he says, are the hornbills: "You give them one command and they weigh themselves." Takes the labour out of things, I'm sure, but where's the fun in that?
source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vicky Fyson trainee keeper of Birds weighing the Penguins(Paul Grover)
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