Zoo counts make Radio 4's flagship and BBC video The annual story of zoo animal censuses made 'Today' at 7.23 this morning. For non UK members, this is not your basic breakfast show, but it intends to give authoritative news and to set the day's agenda for current affairs (with the same target audience as a serious daily paper). For UK members it is available on the iPlayer for a week. Here is the summary from the BBC Today webpage. Keepers at zoos across the UK have begun their annual stock take, when they count up every animal they have in their care. Miranda Stevenson, chief executive of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Biaza), discusses how the information is collated, shared and used by zoos around the world. Also on the BBC website today is this video story about the animal count at Chester. BBC News - Zookeepers begin annual count Alan
That's very good, great to hear a zoo story given a serious billing rather than just a cutesy end of programme story about sweet baby animals. Very informative about the serious work of modern zoos. As Alan says, Today is the most prestigious radio news broadcast programme in the UK.
BBC Wales had an interview with one of the owners of Cefn yr Erw discussing their stock-take of primates . They expect more lemurs and a mandrill amongst others later this year .
We got a small report on the London Zoo census here on the main news show a couple of nights ago. Showed the keepers counting the penguins and a few other species. Was brief and basic, ideal holiday fare.
Of the UK Zoos, London Zoo being the capital's Zoo, usually gets the major share of this perennial story, though several other regional Zoos also get featured in their local media. From memory I think last year's London Zoo census also featured the Penguins too.
Saves on making new film AND, shock horror, travelling outside London! Yorkshire Wildlife Park's count I like the idea you might be able to squeeze giraffe into a non-purpose-built enclosure!