Time to Put That Gorilla on a Diet

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer, General Science / Biology

A pair of polar bearts nuzzle each other at the Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill., on Feb. 12, 2008. Thanks to mounting research on wild animals' food needs, today's zoo staffers are trying new feeding tricks to keep their animals healthy and happy. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

(AP) -- Gorillas on Weight Watchers? Polar bears slurping sugar-free Jell-O shots? Giraffes nibbling alfalfa biscuits? The days of letting visitors throw marshmallows to the animals are mostly history at zoos around the country, replaced by a growing focus on diet and nutrition that parallels the fitness craze in humans.

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