Taipei Zoo has put a pair of obese pandas on a special diet and given them a new exercise routine to keep them healthy and stop them suffering from health issues later in life.
The two sisters, Yuan Zai and Yuan Bo, were given to Taiwan by the Chinese mainland in 2008.
At 115 kilograms Yuan Zai is already as heavy as her father, despite being just 9 years old. Yuan Bo, 10-years-old, weighs 70 kilograms.
Overweight pandas often suffer from hypertension and hyperglycemia that can lead to other health problems.
In order to cut down the fat on the cuddly creatures, the sisters will eat a diet low in sodium, sugar and fats while consuming food sources high in protein.
Pandas that live in captivity are more prone to weight problems because they are less active than those that live in the wild.
As for the exercise, it’s the zookeeper’s responsibility to encourage the tubby bears to get moving. The keepers have also designed special games to keep them active in the enclosure, use more energy and ultimately burn some fat.
The zookeeper, who didn’t want to be named, said: “For the sake of their health, I hope to slowly help them achieve their ideal weight by changing their food.”
In January, That’s reported on a study by the Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences which revealed why pandas are so damn chubby.
READ MORE: Zoologists Reveal Why Pandas Are So Damn Chubby
[Cover Image via Unsplash]
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