Number of animals at zoo down by 32

The total number of creatures at Dudley Zoo dropped during last financial year, following the deaths of 151 animals.

The attraction's annual review shows that 125 animals were born at the zoo in the last 12 months and coupled with new arrivals from elsewhere there were 32 fewer inhabitants overall. However registrar and research co-ordinator Dr David Beeston today said the number of animals is now increasing.

"It is not unusual to have a higher death rate than birth rate," he said.

"At the start of the year we lost a number of birds and mammals giving birth for the first time because of the very poor weather, which they are susceptible too."

The site's animal census also shows an increase in the number of species but a fall in individual animals. There are now 178 species - mostly mammals, birds and reptiles - with 959 creatures. Almost 100 of the zoo's species are listed as endangered, with six critically endangered and 11 near-threatened.

During the year an extra 35 animals were welcomed to the site from elsewhere, while 41 were rehomed to other breeding groups or collections nationwide.

Notable arrivals include a Sumatran female tiger from London zoo, four African hunting dogs from Colchester, a Florida king snake and Asian lion from Planckendael Zoo, in Belgium.

Animals that moved to other sites include two porcupines, who went to Chester Zoo and two Geoffroy's marmosets who went to Rodbaston College near Penkridge and Amazona Zoo in Norfolk.

Dr Beeston added: "Quite a lot of animals are traded with other zoos in order to get unrelated mates to continue our breeding programmes. We are currently waiting to import another black, male lemur and we have a just welcomed a new snow leopard, group of squirrels and some white-lipped peccaries."

Zoo favourites which died during the year include Asian lion Max, aged 15, and Churchill the giraffe.