March of the penguins | The Daily Telegraph — I just thought the picture was amusing.

CHUBBY penguins who have gotten out of shape over the winter months are being drilled by a zoo with their own exercise regime.

King penguins at a zoo in northern Japan are being put through their paces with 500-yard walks on the snowy grounds twice a day, said Asahiyama Zoo spokesman Tetsuo Yamazaki. “Just like in humans … the fat accumulates during the winter months, and the blood-sugar level rises,” Yamazaki explained from the zoo, 800km northwest of Tokyo.

Penguin winter weight varies from 15 kg to 18kg, said zoo official Kazunobu Maru. And one of their 15 penguins is already at his maximum weight. The reason for weight gain is natural, zoo officials say, but they decided the birds needed to shed some pounds.