Fat pandas put on special diet and forced exercise routine at Taipei Zoo after keepers grow concerned over their size
- Fat panda sisters to be fed diet low in fat, sugar and salt to help them stay healthy
- The pair will also play games and start a new exercise routine to increase their activity levels
Taipei Zoo has announced that two of its pandas are starting a special weight-loss diet and new exercise routine after keepers became concerned the pair had become obese, reported Xinhua.
Yuan Zai at nine years old is already as heavy as her father at 115 kilograms, while her younger sister Yuan Bao who is just over one-year-old already weighs a hefty 70 kilograms.
The healthy weight range for a female adult panda is between 105 and 110 kilograms, overweight pandas can develop hypertension and hyperglycaemia that can lead to serious health problems.
A statement from Taipei Zoo said that the pair were healthy and the measures were pre-emptive and designed to “help them reach their ideal weight”.
The sisters will be fed a diet of foods low in salt, sugar and fats but high in protein and will be given encouragement by zookeepers to exercise and be more active in order to bring their weight down.
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A keeper at the zoo said the pair lived less active lives in captivity than they would in the wild and had access to more nutritious foods making it easier for them to gain weight.
“For the sake of their health, I hope to slowly help them achieve their ideal weight through the change of food,” said the keeper who was not named.
In addition to regular exercise the pair will also play games designed by their keepers to help get them moving around their enclosure more often and use up more energy to burn fat.
