ALL ANIMALS at a conservation centre in Easter Compton had to be weighed yesterday to ensure they are keeping fit and healthy.

The Wild Place Project’s staff undertook the huge task of weighing 111 animals of all kinds – from small birds and meerkats, to hefty antelope and zebra.

The attraction also allowed the public to film and photograph the lemurs and meerkats being weighed by animal keepers Zoe Greenhill and Anna Head.

Lucy McCormick an office manager at the centre said: “The meerkats and lemurs are the trickiest to weigh - they all try to get on the scales at the same time for food.”

The keeper also had to distinguish between 12 near-identical ring-tailed lemurs.

The staff regularly carry out this job as part of their animal care routines to monitor weight gain - which is particularly important for pregnant or very young animals.

Will Walker, animal manager, explained: “We like to keep a close eye on all of our animals whether big or small, particularly over the winter months to ensure they are maintaining their weight.

“It is sometimes also the only way we know that an animal is pregnant, as some are so small and weight gain or loss can be masked by their fur.”

Their smallest creatures are the tiny Liocichlas birds which weigh only 45kg, and their heaviest inhabitants are the eland antelopes weighing up to 800kg.

“It can be a difficult job at times but it is very important. Fortunately we have trained most of the animals to sit on specialist weighing scales but sometimes it simply comes down to sheer patience,” added Mr Walker.

The Wild Place Project is fundraising to raise £1500 to buy new specialist scales to weigh the okapi. To find out about how to donate email: Development@bzsociety.org.uk.

For information about visiting the animals at the Wild Place Project, including what’s on over Christmas, visit www.wildplace.org.uk.