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What's actually going on there? Large census of animals in Hellabrunn - it is not always that easy

2023-01-12T09:56:01.287Z


What's actually going on there? Large census of animals in Hellabrunn - it is not always that easy Created: 01/12/2023 10:42 am By: Nina Bautz Big or small: All animals in Hellabrunn have to take part in the inventory. (Archive photo) © Peter Kneffel / dpa The animals at Hellabrunn Zoo will be counted, weighed and measured by the end of the week. But that is not always an easy task. Munich -


What's actually going on there?

Large census of animals in Hellabrunn - it is not always that easy

Created: 01/12/2023 10:42 am

By: Nina Bautz

Big or small: All animals in Hellabrunn have to take part in the inventory.

(Archive photo) © Peter Kneffel / dpa

The animals at Hellabrunn Zoo will be counted, weighed and measured by the end of the week.

But that is not always an easy task.

Munich - The penguins have to stand on the kitchen scales and the camel has to stand still so that the keeper can measure it with a large meter stick.

Inventory - what you usually know from the supermarket is also one of the first tasks in the new year at Hellabrunn Zoo.

The big animal census will take place until the end of the week.

Once a year, all animal residents have to take inventory, regardless of whether they have feathers, armor, fur or scales.

Then it is measured and weighed.

Tierpark Hellabrunn: Which animals are actually represented the most?

There are no figures yet, these will only be published in the annual report in the second quarter.

But according to the zoo, the largest part of the animal population is made up of fish, followed by invertebrates such as corals or sea urchins.

But how do you count ants or fish?

Zoo director Rasem Baban sums up this problem with a wink: “Flocking animals are much more difficult to count than our five female giraffes in the African savannah or the members of our herd of elephants.

Otto is here, wonderful, inventory finished.

This is much more difficult with fish, birds or small animals such as house mice.

All animal keepers work closely together here in order to obtain the most accurate figures possible for the current population.

The daily reports that the animal care colleagues create and which are compared accordingly help with this.

But of course we want to be as precise as possible,” says Baban.

Most recently, a gorilla baby had to be euthanized in Hellabrunn for tragic reasons.

(Our Munich newsletter regularly informs you about all the important stories from the Isar metropolis. Register here.)

Elephants and rhinos also have to be weighed in Hellabrunn

"Especially for insects such as ants, invertebrates or swarming, smaller fish, the numbers are also based on estimates that can be determined with the help of photos," explains spokeswoman Sophia Zimmerling.

With birds, for example, a count is possible without any problems, since departures or arrivals are recorded daily.

And how, for example, is an elephant or rhino weighed?

They climb onto very low, custom-made, electronic boards.

Sophia Zimmerling: "The walk on the special scales is part of the daily medical training of the animals.

To do this, the keepers work with commands and, of course, rewards.” Fruit bats, for example, are weighed very gently in bags.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-01-12

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