Kids' Chef Serves Up Treat For Fussy Lemur

Wednesday December 23, 2009
Neal Walker, Sky News Online

A children's chef has been called in to meet the dietary requirements of a fussy eater at Chessington Zoo.

Baby lemur Smeagol is so picky he had to have a special festive feast whipped up for him by chef Annabel Karmel.

Like the typical "difficult" child, the five-month old lemur refuses to eat his vegetables.

Zoo keepers have tried to tempt the animal with a variety of treats, but so far the youngster has turned his nose up at almost everything on offer.

So Mrs Karmel was drafted in to ensure he eats his Christmas dinner.

"He's quite fussy, like most kids are," she said. "He doesn't like vegetables but he likes fruit. The trouble with him is that he is fickle - one day he likes something and the next day he won't eat it."

Keepers at the zoo in Surrey became concerned after the ring-tailed lemur refused to eat the food put down for him.

"When we made him something fun, he got very excited and went straight for it. He started to pick all the bits off it and then demolished the lot." - Annabel Karmel reveals her trade secrets

It is important he is well nourished because lemurs grow more in their first year than at any other time, and Smeagol has to double in size before he is fully grown.

Mrs Karmel, who cooks for her own pet dogs - a two-year-old golden retriever named Oscar and a one-year-old Samoyed called Hamilton - said the way to entice a fussy eater was to make something which "looked fun".

The mother of three, who has written 20 books on cooking for children, combined a selection of fresh and dried fruits and fashioned them into a reindeer shape for the choosy lemur.

When she presented Smeagol with her creation, he leapt on his festive meal.

"When we made him something fun, he got very excited and went straight for it. He started to pick all the bits off it and then demolished the lot."

The chef's approach means he will get sufficient nourishment to grow into a strong adult.

Mrs Karmel can now concentrate on producing healthy meals for children, rather than animals, at Chessington.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Chessington-Zoos-Lemur-Smeagol-Is-A-Fussy-Eater-Childrens-Chef-Cooks-Up-Treat-For-Baby-Animal/Article/200912415507074?f=rss