All creatures great and small

30 January 2011, 06:00 | Updated: 10 February 2011, 14:59

The count is on at Cotswold Wildlife Park

Every year, the keepers at Cotswold Wildlife Park embark on the mammoth task of counting every single creature for the annual animal count.

This is no mean feat, considering Cotswold Wildlife Park is home to over 1259 animals from over 269 species including 339 invertebrates, fish and reptiles.

Once counted, everything is logged on a computer storing everything about the animal's history, including illness and vaccination records and how often, with who and when it has mated.

Park Curator, Jamie Craig, says:

"We like to keep our animals in natural environments, but these often make good hiding places. The birds in particular can catch us out. Our Hammerkops build large, elaborate nests in their enclosure.  A few years ago, we discovered one we didn't know we had... and they are fairly big birds!"