New arrivals at Whipsnade Zoo included in this year's annual stocktake

And this year ZSL – the international conservation charity behind the Dunstable zoo – is celebrating its 200th anniversary.

Whipsnade, the UK’s largest zoo, has more than 245 species, all of which must be accounted for.

And there are some new additions to this year’s stocktake after 2025 proved to be a bumper year for births.

Precious additions to global conservation programmes include a newborn Southern white rhino calf, born on New Year's Eve. The baby boy, who is yet to be named, was born to mum Jaseera and dad Sizzle and brings the conservation zoo’s total to 10 white rhinos.

This latest arrival joins two reticulated giraffe calves, Hattie the red panda cub and Ivor the domestic Bactrian camel, all born in 2025.

The tally also reflects important animal moves, with some group sizes adjusted as animals are moved as part of international conservation projects. In April, Asian elephants Karishma and her daughter Beth moved to Chester Zoo as part of the European breeding programme, and more moves will take place this year to support a genetically diverse insurance population of endangered species in zoos.

After surveys confirmed the boxer pupfish, a fish species endemic to Mexico, are likely now extinct in the wild, Whipsnade Zoo transported boxer pupfish and eggs to Vienna Zoo in 2025, to bolster the insurance population being cared for in zoos and save the species from the brink of extinction.

The annual animal count at Whipsnade Zoo is a requirement of its license, but also a vital tool for the zoo’s contribution to conservation breeding programmes. Following the count, the conservation zoo will share the final numbers with zoos and aquariums around the world via Species360, an international database which helps conservationists manage important breeding programmes for endangered species.