A once-obese primate is about to be released back into the wilderness even if hes still a chunky monkey.
The beast, named Uncle Fatty, has been on a three-month-long diet, shrinking his girth from 59.5 pounds to 54.5 pounds so an 8.4-percent weight loss, zookeepers in Bangkok said.
His tummy no longer drags on the ground, Natanon Panpetch, a veterinarian at the Wildlife Conservation Office, told the southeast Asian news website Coconuts. He is in a perfect health and ready to be released. He has grown accustomed to the natural foods.
Uncle Fatty made worldwide headlines in May, when he was found lounging around, barely able to move because of his weight.
He was taken to the Wildlife Conservation Office where his calories were carefully counted.
New pictures of Uncle Fatty still show him with a gargantuan gut, though zookeepers said hes fit enough to be let out.
Since mid-May, Uncle Fatty has been on a steady diet of healthy fruits and vegetables.
Its a big change from the junk food, sugary drinks, sweet watermelons and soft drinks he had been fed from tourists.
The monkey was taken back to a local facility in the beach-side Bang Khun Thian district on Thursday where hell worked back into his natural habitat and re-join his family within a week.
Natanon urged tourists, if they come upon Uncle Fatty, not to feed him any human good.
A macaque is supposed to eat crabs or clams in the mangrove. We do not recommend people feed the monkeys at all, Natanon said.
He [Uncle Fatty] does not know what food he should not eat. He eats whatever he finds delicious.
Read more from the original source:
Obese monkey that went on diet will be released into wild - New York Post
