Photos: Animals at the London Zoo hop on the scales for their annual weigh-in

This week, zookeepers at the London Zoo are weighing all 17,000 animals in their care, and looks like a lot of fun.

For the annual weigh-in, the zoo must measure members of 712 species. Photos taken Aug. 24 show zookeepers resorting to a variety of tricks in order to get creatures of different temperaments and behaviors on the scale: Penguins waddle up to fetch fish treats, a tarantula is gently encouraged to tiptoe on the balance, and caretakers race to read the digital display faster than a monkey can snatch peanuts away.

Max, an eagle owl is weighed at the annual weigh-in at the London Zoo. (EPA/Hannah Mckay)

“We have to know the vital statistics of every animal at the zoo—however big or small,” said Mark Habben, the London Zoo’s head manager in an official statement. “This information helps us to monitor their health and their diets and by sharing the information with other zoos and conservationists worldwide, we can use this knowledge to better care for all our animals.”

Habben told Reuters that their heaviest animal is a giraffe weighing close to 860 kg (1,896 lb). The lightest is a leaf-cutter that weighs less than a gram.

All weight and size information gets recorded in the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), a database shared with zoos worldwide to monitor the wellbeing of different species around the world.

Happy birthday Krishna, the sensual, free-willed god

The master prankster is waltzing his way across bylanes and households in India today (Aug. 25). Marking the beginning of the country's biggest festival season, millions of Hindu households and hundreds of neighbourhoods across the country are in a frenzy, celebrating the birthday of dark-skinned Krishna, the playful, sensuous, and perhaps the most political of Hindu gods. Many will stay abuzz until well past midnight partaking in celebrations or just praying. Young men and children are dressed up as the lord himself—complete with flowing robes, bejewelled crowns pecked by peacock feathers, and holding flutes, the lord's favourite musical instrument. Krishna is believed to have taken birth at around midnight during the eighth phase of the moon, known as ashtami tithi, in a prison cell in Mathura city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). His birth anniversary is commonly called Janamashtmi. Besides his skin colour, often likened to that of heavy nimbus, there are several traits that set Krishna apart from others in the Hindu pantheon. It could be his strong advocacy of free-will, romantic association with multiple consorts, the shunning of anxiety over righteous violence, or simply his realpolitik. One of the most enduring and endearing symbols of the idea of Krishna is raas leela, or the "dance of passion." Brought up among cowherds, Krishna would at times play the flute, mesmerising the belles of Vrindavan, another UP town. The charmed women would follow him into the forest, where they would dance in exhilaration. "In the Raas Lila, Krishna plays the flute and the milkmaids dance around him. But the scene takes place at night, outside the village, in the forest. Forest evokes fear. Night evokes fear. The milkmaids are away from the security of the village and family, and yet they feel safe and secure. They sing and dance around Krishna, who is neither their brother nor son nor husband. Neither law nor custom binds them," Indian mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik said. "There is no duty or responsibility that binds them around Krishna. They do so of their own free will." The celebration of Janmashtami often recreates the scenes from such lore, with youth forming human pyramids to break earthen pots and men and women dancing to traditional folk music. Here are some images of devotees preparing for Janmashtami celebrations: A student participates in Janmashtami celebrations in Mumbai on Aug. 23, 2016.