Keepers at London Zoo have once again taken out their clipboards, calculators and cameras to count every one of the 20,000 animals living in the park, from penguins to tigers and even bugs.

The annual animal stocktake, one of the first tasks in the zoo's calendar and one of the busiest times of the year for staff, is going ahead despite the national lockdown in England forcing London Zoo to close its doors again. 

The 200-year-old organization suffered an incredibly tough year in 2020, with the absence of visitors causing a major lack of funding – a trend that seems set to continue in 2021, as the zoo will likely remain closed until at least March. 

"There's no doubt that 2020 was the most challenging year in our almost 200-year history," said London Zoo's chief operating officer, Kathryn England.

"National lockdowns saw us closed for 18 weeks, cutting off millions of pounds of vital charitable income from lost ticket sales, but kicking off this new year with the annual stock take is a chance to reflect on some of our achievements in the face of these challenges." 

The annual stocktake, which usually takes up to a week to complete, is a requirement of the zoo's licence. Once the inventory is filled in, it is shared with zoos around the world and data are used to monitor the population of endangered species.

There are a few newcomers that will be added to the census this year. In the 12 months, the zoo has welcomed some newborns, including two otter pups, born during lockdown to first-time parents Pip and Matilda, and a female okapi calf, Ede, born in September. 

The birth of the stripy baby okapi, a beautiful and unusual animal which is threatened in the wild by deforestation and poaching for its skin and bushmeat, was one of London Zoo's greatest achievements last year.

Another endangered species counted in the census, was Sumatran tigress Gaysha. After arriving from Ree Park Safari in Denmark, she was reunited with her former mate Asim in the zoo's Tiger Territory.

As London Zoo is likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future, missing out on the opportunity to create income from visitors' tickets, the park is counting more than ever on public support to survive.