LONDON — Keepers at London Zoo are counting more than sheep.
Three giant Galapagos tortoises, a Komodo dragon, and a critically endangered baby mangabey monkey are among the new residents at the central London zoo to be included in this year’s annual head count.
The zoo’s large population — more than 14,500 animals, including thousands of insects — means it will take keepers about a week to complete the census, which started today.
Other new additions include a pair of aardvarks and the first lion cubs born at the zoo in a decade.
The zoo says it hopes 70-year-old Galapagos tortoise Dirk and the Komodo dragon, a 7-year-old female called Rinca from South Africa, will mate — each with its own kind — and help boost the numbers further this year.
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