Yorkshire Wildlife Park's Animal Audit

Dedicated rangers needed patience, invention and tasty treats to get the measure of all creatures great and small at Yorkshire Wildlife Park’s annual audit.



Each of the hundreds of animals, from tiny meerkats to Eastern Black Rhinos and Giraffes, has to be counted and have their vital statistics recorded as part of a national monitoring and conservation programme.



Coaxing them onto scales and to stay still long enough to get the tape measure in place took a weekend of innovation and hard work as the animals range from tiny primates weighing ounces to polar bears at 600kgs and the park’s three Eastern Black Rhinos that weight in at 1,350kgs.



“We have to make each animal comfortable and encourage them to stay still, which is tricky with the cheeky meerkats and Tamarin monkeys, and also find the appropriate equipment,” says Colin Northcott, Deputy Head of Carnivores at the award-winning park at Auckley, near Doncaster.