LEIPZIG, Germany — A porky North Carolina opossum whose crossed-eyes made her an internet sensation could lose her cute affliction after being put on a diet, German news site The Local reported today.
Heidi, who moved to Leipzig Zoo from her native US via Denmark, earned hundreds of thousands of fans and worldwide acclaim after a Facebook page was established in her honor.
But she stood to lose her much-loved alignment trouble after zookeepers placed her on the new food program.
They believe that fatty deposits behind her eyes were the cause of the sight problem and hoped the fat-busting diet will help her pupils to look in the same direction.
Leipzig Zoo spokeswoman Maria Saegebarth said the weight-loss was already giving Heidi a spring in her step.
“She is making clear progress with mobility, and can now use her tail much better to hold onto things,” she said.
Heidi is shedding weight out of sight of the public, but will be unveiled in slimline state upon the opening of a new tropical hall in July.