It is that time of year again when the team at Hunter Valley Zoo, Nulkaba get down and dirty to weigh and measure their group of American alligators.

The annual weigh-in took place last Thursday.

Timed with the start of the summer feeding season, this is wet, dirty and dangerous work for the zookeepers but an essential part of the zoo’s alligator management.

It is also important to ensure all of the alligators are in tip top shape leading up to the breeding season. 

It takes a lot of precision, skill and strength from the zookeepers to contain the ‘gators.

After the water is drained from their enclosures, the alligators are caught, bound by ropes and then lifted onto a set of scales to get the final figure. 

This year the zoo’s female alligator B2 was the first cab off the rank, coming in at 75 kilograms. 

B2’s potential breeding partner Horse was next and proved significantly bigger at just under 206 kilograms. 

Hunter Valley Zoo owner Jason Pearson said that it was a hard and messy job, but an important part of the alligators’ life at the zoo.

WATCH: See photos and video of the alligator weigh-in here.