Monkey see, monkey eat

>> A morbidly obese monkey named Uncle Fatty is undergoing a gruelling weight-loss programme at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in Bangkok.

Restricted to two meals a day, Uncle Fatty is under a strict diet consisting of vegetables, low-sugar fruits and boiled eggs. The rehabilitation centre’s staff have also put him on an exercise programme.

Uncle Fatty has so far managed to reduce his weight by one kilogramme in one month. Progress is slow but his belly is smaller, which staff say can only be a good sign.

The alpha male monkey was last month transferred from a rest area in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district where motorists and tourists stop to feed a small group of monkeys. With a shape resembling the Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt, Uncle Fatty became a tourist attraction.

People liked to feed him with high-fat unhealthy human junk food. Uncle Fatty also had an unhealthy appetite for whatever tourists left there, such as sugary soda drinks or fatty snacks.

Last month a monkey support group noticed that Uncle Fatty’s belly had ballooned so much the animal could barely move. The group sent out an “SOS” twitter “@js100radio: Fat monkey needs help”.

After the message went viral, the department transferred Uncle Fatty to its rehabilitation centre to lower his weight from 27kg, which is three times higher than normal.

The department’s staff said it was unlikely for Uncle Fatty to have a slim body soon.

But once Uncle Fatty becomes healthier, he will be sent back to reunite with the other monkeys at Bang Khun Thian.

Staff urged people not to feed monkeys with junk food because “they will become what they eat”.