If you can get pupils to eat their greens, chances are you can get fussy lemurs to follow suit. That is the thinking behind Chessington Zoo’s decision to draft in a children’s chef to meet the dietary requirements of its picky residents.
Smeagol, a five-month-old baby lemur, is a notoriously fussy eater and refuses to touch his vegetables. Chef Annabel Karmel, who has convinced the most difficult children to finish what’s on their plate, was recruited to change his eating habits.
Mrs Karmel’s strategy is to make food look fun. When she fashioned fresh and dried fruits into a reindeer shape, Smeagol leapt at it. Bet Jamie Oliver hadn’t thought of that.