A LIONESS has stunned zoo-goers with her big belly as zoo keepers insist there is a simple reason for her weight gain.
In video footage taken by a shocked animal lover, a lioness can be seen slumped on the ground, munching on grass.
The chubby lioness was seen at Chengdu Zoo in China
Zoo keepers insist the weight gain is due to her age
In the footage taken at the Chengdu Zoo in China, an entire pride of lions has reportedly been struggling with .
The lioness in the video has a belly so large that it drooped dangerously close to the ground.
The video has drawn widespread criticism from Chinese animal lovers and activists, who say the lions and tigers in the zoo had been looking “dangerously obese”.
Comments on the video included users asking: “How do they feed the lions? They’re raising them like little fat pigs!”.
Another person commented: “Are they trying to save trouble by just feeding them and not exercising them?”
Despite the online backlash, zoo staff have said the lioness’s weight is down to a simple cause – her age.
The African lion is 12 years old, which zoo officials have said is “relatively old” for a lion.
The average African lion’s lifespan is between 10 and 14 years old.
The staff said her slower metabolism and reduced activity has caused the moderate obesity in the big cat.
In a statement, the zoo said it had been trying to reduce the lion’s weight for more than a year, but had been having limited success.
Staff also said due to the enclosure environment, the lions aren’t in “constant pursuit of prey and struggle for survival” so their activity level was naturally lower than in the wild.
The zoo has expanded the animal’s activity area and adjusted the food intake, flavours and feeding methods, in an effort to curb her weight.
Following the video footage going viral, experts have warned that obesity in larger can lead to metabolic disorders, joint problems and long-term pain.
This is not the first time the zoo has come under fire for overweight big cats.
In March, was filmed at the zoo, struggling to walk around its enclosure.
The big cat seemingly tries to hide behind a tree, but its bloated stomach makes the usually svelte and streamlined animal easy to spot.
The obese panther shocked onlookers
The panther was struggling to walk around the enclosure
Zoo keepers said the weight gain was due to the age of the panther
The shocking footage was filmed at the Chengdu Zoo in Chengdu, Sichuan Province in and images were shared online on 9 March.
In a very similar statement on March 10, the zoo told local media that the black panther was very old and a female aged 16-years-old.
The zoo also said the panther’s body functions and metabolism were not in a good condition.
However, the panther’s condition sparked backlash with comments saying many of the zoo’s animals are too fat due to being overfed.
A zoo keeper claimed: “We are reducing the amount of food! We will start by reducing the beef and other things.”
Viewers have been left baffled by the size of the animal’s belly.
One viewer said: “I laughed hard. I thought she was pregnant, but it turned out that she was overweight.
“Please ask her to exercise more.”
These videos come after a slew of other concerning images and videos coming out of Chinese zoos sparking fears about their treatment of animals.
In February, a zoo in the Shandong province admitted to painting donkeys with black and white stripes to make them look like zebras.
The rubbish dye job by the Zibo City amusement park to try and attract more tourists was quickly spotted by visitors and shared online.
One Chinese zoo has painted donkeys to look like zebras
The paint job was in an effort to attract more visitors to the zoo
One user called the act “misleading and unethical”.
Another said that it’s “unfair to the animals and the visitors”.
But amusement park staff defended the act as a marketing strategy, saying that the dye used was non-toxic and did not harm the animals.
However, animal rights activists have expressed concerns over the welfare of the painted animals, arguing that such practices can cause stress and issues.
Online commenters called the move ‘misleading and unethical’ 
