Lions and tigers, and bears! (And a sloth called Terry): London Zoo keepers count more than 400 species for their annual stocktake
A newborn Sumatran tiger cub, an Asiatic lion and a young sloth named Terry were among the newcomers being counted by London Zoo staff during their annual stocktake.
Keepers were out in force on Tuesday, clutching their clipboards and cameras, as they worked together to tally the animals among the more than 400 species at the Regent's Park attraction.
Dan Simmonds, head zookeeper, said: 'Today's a special day because we've just come through Christmas and it's a nice time for the keepers to go and do that daily check on their animals and get their clipboards out and just count all the animals.'
The annual stocktake, which lasts around a week, is a condition of the zoo's licence - although in reality numbers are something staff keep track of throughout the year.
Among those counted are the 62 Humboldt penguins, 15 Bolivian black capped squirrel monkeys and two Bactrian camels. 
London Zoo keepers are taking stock of the attractions more than 400 species this week as part of its annual stock take. Pictured: The Asiatic lions Bhanu and Arya were some of the easier animals to count as the check got underway this month
Pictured: Keeper Mick Tiley with Bactrian Camels during the annual stocktake at ZSL London Zoo in central London
The stock take usually takes around a week and is carried out once a year. Pictured: A zoo keeper counts Humboldt penguins
The zoo's newest resident is the yet-unnamed Sumatran tiger cub pictured with mother Gaysha who was born in December
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And while counting up the larger animals is a relatively simple task, there are challenges associated with some of the zoo's smaller creatures.
'It can be really tough if it's a little squirrel monkey that is bouncing around and we've got sort of 14, 15 of them,' Mr Simmonds said.
'The keepers do an amazing job, they work with them day in, day out, they can identify all of them as they can all of the penguins, all of the bigger groups of animals.
'It can be challenging, but the keepers are really well trained, it's part of their job to do that, so one way or another they'll always make sure they count the animals.'
Pictured: Marilyn and her new baby Terry, as the baby sloth surprised keepers at the zoo with its speedy birth in October
While counting large animals is simple, counting the smaller creatures such as the zoo's Squirrel Monkeys can be challenging
Pictured: Zookeeper Joe Capon counts the giant Galapagos tortoises during the attraction's annual stock take this week
New arrivals: Pictured here is a baby Banggai cardinal fish - one of three born in the Zoo's new coral tank in 2021
Among the animals new to the count in 2022 are Arya, an Asiatic lioness who arrived from Paignton Zoo in April, as well as baby sloth Terry, who was born to Marilyn in October.
Keepers were also able to count a new addition among the tigers.
Mr Simmonds said: 'Up until recently the keepers were counting just two tigers, but today they're counting three because we've got a little cub.
'So we're really excited.'
The cub, who has not yet been sexed, was born to Sumatran tigress Gaysha just before Christmas.
Sumatran tigers are the rarest and smallest subspecies of tiger in the world, with the latest figures suggesting that only 300 remain in the wild.
The new boy or girl is being celebrated as a boost to the collaborative global breeding programme for Sumatran tigers, which sees zoos around the world work together to look after a healthy back-up population of the Critically Endangered species.
Zookeeper Kim Carter adds three Critically Endangered big-headed turtles to the tally during London Zoo Annual Stocktake
Even the various fish species have to be counted. Pictured here: Keepers count fish in London Zoo's Tiny Giants coral tankOther new arrivals included three Critically Endangered big-headed turtles which hatched in the Zoo’s Reptile House, after their parents were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.
Last year also saw the birth of three endangered Banggai cardinalfish in the Zoo’s new coral tank – the first species to breed in their new Tiny Giants home.
Four Extinct-in-the-Wild Socorro doves hatched in the Zoo’s historic Blackburn Pavilion and three Eastern black and white colobus monkeys were born in Gorilla Kingdom – they'll move with the rest of the troop to Monkey Valley in summer 2022.
Not every animal is counted individually - for example, an ant colony counts as one, so keepers do not have to tally up every single insect.
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