Although zoos up and down the country have sadly had to close due to the nation's third lockdown, the upkeep of the animals has never been more important, and the start of a new year always means one thing – the annual headcount of all the residents at Twycross Zoo.

Staff at Twycross have been hard at work totting up the numbers, finding out the final count for their huge family, which is made up of both great and small animals, some of which are the rarest on the planet.

The zoo is happy to announce that it is starting 2021 with 575 residents.

Despite all the obstacles faced last year, Twycross Zoo had some fantastic highlights to celebrate, including welcoming male eastern black rhino, Sudan, as part of a European breeding programme, as well as 22 new babies including kirk's dik-diks, a xiana monkey and a susky leaf monkey arriving throughout the year.

The Twycross Zoo team also worked alongside primate conservation charity Ape Action Africa (AAA), to successfully carry out Cameroon's first ever gorilla return.

Neil Dorman, Curator of Twycross Zoo, said: "Whilst we look back on 2020 as being the most challenging year in our history, it's also important to reflect on all the positives and everything we did achieve for conservation.

"Our 2021 stocktake is evidence of the tremendous work put in by all our staff. In a year which we had to close for almost three months, we managed to welcome new animals and also celebrate over 20 new zoo births, which is a great achievement for conservation and for these species, many of which are endangered."

There are many ways to support the Midlands conservation charity, including donating, booking a future visit, becoming a member, adopting an animal or making a purchase in the online shop. Find out more at the Twycross Zoo website.