A monkey who has been given the nickname ‘uncle fatty’ is finally getting help for his obesity.

The 33lb long-tailed macaque will go to boot camp after gorging on food from tourists including melons, milkshakes, sweetcorn and noodles by visitors to a floating water market in Bangkok, Thailand.

He was taken in by primate conservation group Monkey Lovers who confirmed that he was not sick, just fat.

They now aim to get him to half his current weight and will make him run and swing around with other animals to help him lose weight.

Organiser Kawinoat MongKholtechaphat said: ‘Uncle has got fat because he has just been eating everything that people give to him.

‘He’s not sick, he just needs helps. He likes eating and there are lots of visitors and tourists who give him food all day.’

Kawinoat said that Uncle played an important role in the community of monkeys that roam free around the market in the Bang Khun Thian district.

He added: ‘He’s a leader to the younger monkeys. He teaches them important things, how to survive.

‘He’s old now and likes to sit around eating a lot. We want the monkeys to stay roaming free outside where they are happy.’

The National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation have now transferred Uncle to a Nakhon Nayok wildlife rescue centre some 100 miles away where he will receive health checks.

Kanjana Nittaya said: ‘We believe the monkey is suffering from obesity because a great number of people come there and feed it. It is probably just sitting there and overeating.’

Thailand is home to hundreds of thousands of wild monkeys including gibbon, macaque, langur and loris, that roam free and are popular with tourists.

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Richard Hartley

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]