Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
No, we are not talking about Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey but Thailand’s finest, Uncle Fat!
The overweight Monkey is now 60 pounds -three times the size of a macaque– because of his addiction to junk food. Uncle Fat enjoys milkshakes, sweetcorn, noodles and sweet melons.
Uncle Fat enjoying some food via YouTube
It’s common for wild monkeys to roam Thailand, and yes, tourist love to feed them and it’s why it has become a coveted travel destination.
Via YouTube
After a couple of photos of this chunky monkey went viral, wildlife officials intervened; however, it wasn’t as easy as they thought it would be. It looks like this monkey was the king of the streets and wasn’t going anywhere. Uncle Fat had a group of subordinate monkeys who continuously helped him indulge in his feeding frenzy, but when done, would redistribute whatever was not consumed to his minions and the younger monkeys. It was said that when wildlife officials went to rescue him, they had to fight off his fans to finally capture him.
A leader!
Uncle Fat via YouTube
Due to his junk food intake not only from his followers but the tourist, the chunky monkey has developed a large fat mass, also known as a benign tumor. Unfortunately, he is now at a high risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Have no fear though; the 10-year-old monkey is currently on a strict diet that consists of 400 grams worth of lean protein, fruits, and vegetables twice a day! A great diet for anyone we might add.
Wildlife and Plant Conservation have transferred Uncle Fat to Nakhon Nayok wildlife rescue center where he will continue to have regular check-ups and encouraged to run and swing around with the other animals.
Chunky monkey is expected to drop to 17 pounds, and roam freely in a couple of months. We might also see an exciting new trend to come: “The Monkey Diet.”
Via YouTube
