Except for a few monkeys which were sent to the hospital for indigestion, most animals at the Shanghai Zoo in east China were safe and sound during the food-filled Spring Festival.
"As people become more mature in dealing with their animal friends, holiday syndrome, which highlights indigestion and diarrhea, was less obvious this year," said Xiong Chengpei, director of the zoo.
However in the 1980s, he said, holidays tended to be doomsday for animals as the number of visitors always soared and most of them would throw snacks for the animals to eat.
When tempting food like bread, cake, melon seeds, fruit, peanuts and other popped snacks keeps coming, it is very hard to require animals to self-diet, Xiong said.
According to him, even vegetarians like zebras and giraffes began to snap up milk cakes. And birds, with their chests fully filled, could only walk lamely.
Xiong attributed the weakened "holiday syndrome" to the fast spread of science and sounder regulations.
(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2003)
