Obese skunk put on vegetarian diet to battle bacon addiction
Mr. Bumble the skunk loves his bacon sandwiches, but his new owners have put him on a vegetarian diet to help shed the extra weight they’ve added to his frame.
At 14 pounds, Mr. Bumble is twice his ideal weight. His previous owners, who indulged his love for pork, gave him to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and he now lives at Tropiquaria animal park near Watchet, Somerset, where he’s fed fruit and vegetables.
His new healthy diet, along with a daily exercise regimen, should help him shed the extra 7 pounds that have made his naturally sleek body so rotund. Skunks’ natural diet in the wild is made up of insects, mice, greenery, and dead animals.
Skunks have become popular as household pets in the UK, but abandonment rates are up as a new law prevents the removal of their scent glands. Torpiquaria park owner Chris Noisier says that they’re not sure whether Mr. Bumble has been de-scented.
"We're now working on dieting him down to what he should be. Clearly bacon butties are not a normal part of a skunk's diet in the wild," Noisier told the BBC.
We're putting him on the vegetarian option at the moment. It's very much like a human weight-watching issue. He is getting to meet lots of new people so there's lots going on in his life, and I suspect it's making up for the lack of his old favorite food."
(Photos: SWNS)
Stephanie Rogers is a regular contributor to Mother Nature Network, where this post originally appeared.
More from Mother Nature Network
- 10 Remarkable Animals That Saved People’s Lives
- The First Rule of Squirrel Fight Club
- Gorillas Tweet for Their Lives
- Wild Turkeys Invade Suburban New Jersey
- Bangladesh Awards Farmer Who Killed 83,000 Rats
You do not appear to have Yahoo! Messenger installed. Click here to download and install it.
- Subscribe to Y! Green Featured Articles
- Subscribe to Y! Green News
Past Blog Entries
- Search for Loch Ness Monster nets 100,000 golf balls
- 10 ways to catch germs over the holidays
- Bare bears baffle zookeepers with baldness
- Giant jellyfish sinks 10-ton Japanese ship
- 10 tasty flu-fighting foods
Leave a Comment:
You must first sign in.
More Green Stories
-
Slow-cooker side dishes for Thanksgiving
These recipes will delight guests -- and leave the cook with time to mingle.
-
10 ways to catch germs over the holidays
Parties and family gatherings mean more chances to catch up -- and catch a cold.
-
Too much of a good thing
Aren't there some things that you just can't have too much of? Not really.
comments from our community
Showing 1 - 14 of 14 comments
Post Comment