Chinese zoo gives up trying to make fat leopard lose weight

They say a leopard never changes its spots. It also, apparently, can’t change its enormous weight. ‘Officer Clawhauser’ who got the nickname from the equally rotund, equally leopard character in Disney’s foxsploitation flick Zootopia, is, according to park staff ‘old and fat.’ Nothing they can do about his age (yet), but his weight, well, they tried. They failed. Officers at the Panzhihua Park Zoo decided to put their best science hats on and devise a diet and exercise regime that could finally put an end to the leopard obesity epidemic. They gave him more room to exercise. They restricted his feeding schedule. They cut his calories. Officer Clawhauser, however, was above the laws of pardine dietetics. After two months of ruthless dieting, Clawhauser had lost a grand total of 0kg. If anything, it looks like he might have put on a little. Therefore, the park boffins have come up with a new, even more foolproof plan: they’re going to give up. ‘All is fine as long as he is healthy and happy,’ said one of the staff. He’s probably happier now he’s not having to drink all those funny tasting milkshakes and watch endless reruns of ‘Sweating it to the Oldies.’