2017 is already in full swing at Colchester Zoo with keepers completing their annual stock count of the animals they care for!

A stock take such as this is something we must complete as part of our compliance with zoo legislation and is completed by all zoos around the world!

We must record and confirm every animal birth, death, arrival and departure here at the zoo and will also submit our data to the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA). It’s important that we submit data to these central databases so that the animals at Colchester Zoo can be part of breeding programmes set up to help safeguard vulnerable and threatened species.

We welcomed a number of new arrivals to the collection in 2016 from a large number of penguin chicks to Astrid a 3 year old female white rhino! Many of our smaller primates also welcomed young including our spider monkeys who had their first baby for 8 years and our ring tailed lemurs welcomed 4 new borns. As always we welcomed many insects and fish throughout the year who must also be counted and will all be added to this year’s records.

Find out more about 2016 and what is expected in 2017 from our curators here:

We hope 2017 will be another successful year for conservation at Colchester Zoo with many exciting new arrivals – watch this space! Thank you to all our supporters, with your visits and funding, we aim to continue with breeding programmes for endangered species and fund in situ projects in the wild by working hand in hand with our charity Action for the Wild.