Striking X-ray pictures show inner workings of London Zoo animals

2019-02-19 10:02 Last Updated At：10:03

The creatures include frogs, snakes and armadillos.

Eye-catching X-ray images of animals at London Zoo have been released.

The pictures were taken during routine health checks of its 18,000 animals and include snakes and armadillos.

The image of Cornelius, a corn snake, is particularly striking, containing as it does hundreds of vertebrae – compared to the 33 inside a human.

ZSL London Zoo veterinary nurse Heather Mackintosh said: “We can tell so much about an animal’s health from looking at an X-ray – from the strength of their bones to how healthy their heart is.

“They’re vital to our work, and even though we get to see unique X-rays fairly often we still think that they’re absolutely fascinating.

“Most people can recognise a human X-ray, but they probably haven’t seen the individual segments of a large hairy armadillo’s exoskeleton, or the long tail bones of a big-headed turtle.”

5 dogs suspected to have been poisoned in a series of deaths in Lok Ma Chau

Five dogs have died in a series of suspected cruelty to animals cases in Lok Ma Chau, but no arrests have been made so far.

Police have received four reports since February 16th regarding the discovery of five dogs suspected to have been poisoned in an open space on Liu Pok Road in Lok Ma Chau. Following preliminary investigations, the case has been classified as "cruelty to animals" and is being followed up by the Border District Crime Investigation Team. The carcasses of the five dogs have been transferred to the relevant agencies for post-mortem.

The animal organization "Sai Kung Stray Friends Foundation" has recently published several posts on its social media, stating that volunteers found several dead dogs in Lok Ma Chau while providing supplies to stray animals, some of which were suspected to have been poisoned. The organization has reported to the police and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to handle the situation.

The organization also stated that volunteers have taken at least three dogs from the area for temporary shelter and appealed to the public for help in temporary care or adoption to protect the unharmed dogs.