Picture of the Day: Giant Monkey

A giant snub-nosed monkey hanging from H Queens

The other day I was at Tai Kwun, the former Central Police headquarters, and when I looked up, I saw a giant monkey across the street!

Called Golden Monkey, it's a 14-metre tall inflated snub-nosed monkey created by Australian artist Lisa Roet. It was installed in December on the H Queens building and will be there until next month.

Several years ago Roet began a series of works called Extinct Distinct, based on her documentation of some newly discovered yet endangered species of primates.

She says there are many interesting stories associated with snub-nosed monkeys. "Their sneezing snub nose is definitely one of them," Roet says. "They sneeze to get melted ice and rain out of their upturned nose. Before they were discovered, nearby villagers though the sneezing sound was from their sick ancestors. That led scientists traveling in the village to investigate, and they found this new species in Yunnan's high mountains in 20210. Global warming made an impact on its habitat, making it a symbol of changing global weather patterns."

As a result, Roet wants to make large-scale versions of this monkey to place them on skyscrapers in urban centres to highlight the increasing urbanization and co-habitation of urban and nature.

A Very Chunky Monkey

Uncle Fat needs to lose weight, as he weighs three times the average monkey

Meet Uncle Fat.

He's a chunky monkey who was found on the side of the road in Thailand and is morbidly obese.

A video shows him walking on the road and practically dragging his stomach, and when he sits up, well, it's not a pretty sight.

His stomach is so large that it practically drags on the ground

Nicknamed "Uncle Fat" by locals, the monkey had been feasting on junk food and soft drinks that tourists gave him and others on the roadside. Most of the monkeys are macques who usually weigh 9kg, but Uncle Fat is triple that number, tipping the scales at around 26kg.

He was caught by wildlife officials when pictures of him circulated on social media.

"It was not easy to catch him," says Kacha Phukem, the wildlife official who orchestrated Fat Uncle's capture late last month. "He was the leader of the pack and when I tried to go in, I had to fight off a flock of them with sticks."

As the leader who was not only protected, Uncle Fat was also well fed.

"He had minions and other monkeys bringing food for him, but he would also redistribute it to younger monkeys," says Supakarn Kaewchot, a veterinarian in charge of the monkey's diet. "He's now in a critical condition where there is a high-risk of heart disease and diabetes."

Vet Supakarn prepares his meals of fruits and vegetables

Currently he's on a very strict diet that limits him to 400g of lean protein, fruits and vegetables twice a day. Supakam hopes that in a few months he'll be trim enough to be released back into the wild.

"I understand that people feel sorry for the monkeys and want to feed them when they see them," says Supakam. "But please don't feed them food that people like to eat like snacks and soda. It is very bad for their health and the problem is entirely man-made."

Poor Uncle Fat. But we hope he'll get better soon.

Pictures of the Day: Monkeying Around

A monkey having fun swinging a handbag

People who decorate malls for Chinese New Year must have the hardest time coming up with interesting displays around a different animal.

Luckily this year is a bit fun with the monkey, and I love this window display from Tod's with monkeys carrying handbags and having mischievous expressions.

Monkeys playing among the flowers at Landmark Atrium

The Landmark has a beautiful floral display with over 2,088 flowers and over 50 golden simians. They look a bit lifelike, each with a different look, but it's their "fur" that makes them not so cuddly-looking...