In Pictures: All creatures great and small called upon for annual zoo weigh-in

Bongos, bears, and tiny snails were just some of the animals having their vital statistics recorded at Whipsnade Zoo’s annual weigh-in on Wednesday, as the conservation zoo got more than 10,000 of its residents on the scales.

The event at the Bedfordshire conservation zoo helps keepers and vets keep track of the health and wellbeing of all the animals in their care.

From the smallest to the tallest, all the animals’ weights and measurements are recorded on a shared database, through which zookeepers around the world can compare important information on thousands of threatened species.

No creature is too small to be included in the weigh-in (Whipsnade Zoo/Dominic Lipinski/PA)

While some, such as this Vampire Crab, require specialist measuring kit (Whipsnade Zoo/Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Panther chameleons were among the more than 10,000 animals involved (Whipsnade Zoo/Dominic Lipinski/PA)

While some of the residents, such as red-billed hornbill Mali, had to be coaxed onto the scales by keepers … (Joe Giddens/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Joe Giddens

… others, such as Doby the aardvark, snuffled into position in return for some breakfast (Joe Giddens/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Joe Giddens

Pembe the Bongo was encouraged onto a giant weighboard by keepers with his favourite vegetables (Joe Giddens/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Joe Giddens

While the zoo’s European brown bears were enticed by a smear of honey (Joe Giddens/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Joe Giddens

And the zoo’s endangered reticulated giraffes were tempted using their favourite food, a willow branch (Joe Giddens/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Joe Giddens