Fat Animals with Accents

Apparently obesity isn't just for American's anymore... make that humans in general. First we have George, the greedy little pig as old British women would call him. This hedgehog was delivered to the Wildlife Aid centre in Leatherhead, England five times heavier than his natural weight. At 5lbs, George is dangerously obese and a testament to the fattening properties of garden insects, fruits and mushrooms.

i-c560d3978e6c8b7a8e4439980e54b4dd-hedgehog fat 1.jpg
Remind anyone else of this?

i-5297660a7c578cdfd2c1c35e3cccb65c-hedgehog fat1.jpg
More of a trailer park tiggywinkle if you ask me.

Next we have Peaches, the fat baby wombat, from Tomerong, north of Sydney. In this series of caught-in-the-act photos, Peaches has become trapped in her caregiver's flower pots after eating all the flowers and then burrowing her way in.

i-10e7b165cb5a9a7b1d88bdf10fc47ae2-wombat fat 1.jpg

i-c9514bd1889eead0967d0ada72c085e2-wombat fat 2.jpg
This happened to Benny once after a night of drinking.

Credit for both stories to the premier scientific journal of the Old Continent, the Daily Mail, and NK for forwarding them along (who, for the record, knows that wombats are not British).

More like this

In the UK, fertility treatment is free under their health care system. However, experts are now suggesting that obese women should be denied access to in vitro fertilization unless they lose weight. The reasoning behind this are the high health risks associated with the treatment if the patient is…
The other day I took my dogs to the vet for a checkup and saw a woman with her morbidly obese dog waiting to fill her prescription for Slentrol -- the first obesity drug for dogs -- which made me feel the need to resurrect this post below, which I wrote the day the FDA announced they'd approved the…
A few weeks ago Tara Parker Pope wrote The Fat Trap for the NYT and once I read it I started sending it to other doctors I know. It is a great summary on the current knowledge of why we get fat, and more importantly for those of us that already are tipping the scales, why is it so damn hard to…
As someone who has derived a surprising amount of blog traffic from posting about weight loss, I feel like I really ought to say something about Alas, A Blog's case against dieting (which I first noticed via a Dave Munger comment). It's a comprehensive collection of data (with graphs, so it must…

George is darling. Hedgehogs make me laugh anyway with their round bodies and tiny feet (and what must they think of me?) but George is just precious. He needs a hat.

Doesn't this have something to do with their hibernation cycle? I think I remember reading something about English hedgehogs in general, something about their not being able to eat enough before hibernation to ensure the adequate fat stores they need. Or something. Man I wish I could remember that link.

i think hedgehogs add about 30% to their bodyweight before hibernation and that inadequately fatty hedgehogs should not be allowed to hibernate, as they tend to get too cold. their quills don't afford much protection so they rely on adipose tissue to be their fur coat. that being said, george needs a stomach staple.

After seeing these pictures I believe I will pass on that second piece of pie! LOL!
Dave Briggs :~)

By Dave Briggs (not verified) on 03 Jan 2008 #permalink

the alternative mascot for the 2000 Olympics was Fatso The Fat-Arsed Wombat. I'ld wondered what he'd been up to, since.