Some animals at the Beijing Zoo are being taught to tolerate medical check-ups without the use of anesthetics, thanks to a behavior-training program launched last April.

On Tuesday, a tiger, giant panda and gorilla were coaxed to endure blood sampling and other health check-ups carried out by zookeepers and vets.

"In this way, we can reduce possible injuries for animals and make conventional health checks like ultrasonography easier than ever before," said He, a zookeeper in charge of the training, which has been given to 62 species of wild animals or more than 60 percent of the zoo's residents.

(Beijing Times November 23, 2007)