Obese Malaysian orangutan put on diet after too much junk food from tourists

An obese orangutan has been put on a strict diet by Malaysian wildlife authorities after two decades of gorging on junk food handed out by tourists, a report said on Friday.

Jackie reportedly weighs 100kg, twice the normal weight of an adult female in the rich jungle habitats of Borneo island.

The 22-year-old ape was relocated more than three months ago by the wildlife department in the state of Sabah – which lies in the northeast of Borneo – because visitors to the Poring forestry park kept feeding her.

Department director Laurentius Ambu was cited in a newspaper report saying that Jackie’s familiarity with her human carers led her to seek out tourists at the park’s visitors’ area.

“I am glad that Jackie is a much happier orangutan now,” Ambu was quoted as saying in The Star.

Officials could not be immediately reached for comment but Ambu was reported as saying Jackie’s weight-loss programme would “take time”.