Chimps and cheetahs tallied up in zoo's head count

All creatures great and small - and everything in between - have been tallied up by zookeepers during an annual stock take.

Colchester Zoo updated its records at the end of 2025 to note all of its births, deaths and exchanges with other parks.

There were 151 species, 1,028 individual creatures and nine colonies, according to those behind the head count in Essex.

The zoo said its mission "may seem simple", but with plenty of very small animals it could actually be "a little tricky".

"From mammals to birds, reptiles, fish and even insects – all must be counted," the zoo said.

The figures have been submitted to the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria, as well as to a central database:

• Mammals: 64 species and 228 individuals
• Birds: 17 species and 195 individuals
• Reptiles: 26 species and 75 individuals
• Amphibians: three species and 38 individuals
• Fish: 37 species, 419 individuals and seven colonies
• Invertebrates: four species, 13 individuals and two colonies

Thirty-three of those species were either critically endangered or endangered, the zoo said, up from 29 in 2024.

To increase the accuracy of the count, some species were submitted as colonies rather than individuals.

"This ensures that the team do not count the same fish twice in an aquarium or lose track of their tallies within a flock of flying birds," the zoo added.

Among the new arrivals at the zoo in 2025 were a two-toed sloth, a new male red panda called Iris, and Mikolas the pygmy hippo.

The park also announced the "devastating" death of Patagonian sea lion Atlanta in April.

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