Food rationing, once common for residents in China during the planned economy era, has been introduced to reduce the monkeys' weight in the 60-hectare Emei Monkey Reserve, according to the reserve management office.

As part of a special dieting regime to limit the quantity and variety of the food, the staff now provide the animals with 600 bags of monkey food daily, mostly coarse grains, according to office deputy Zhang Yuan.

Tourists are also told to buy monkey food at designated sites and are not allowed to give them other food without permission.

The monkeys had become too picky about their ordinary food after enjoying the highly-nutritious snacks from tourists, and had grown partial to a particular kind of food, he added.

With more body fat and less exercise, the apes had become prone to obesity and hypertension.

(eastday.com December 5, 2002)