Many of Japan’s tasty regional delicacies don’t exactly qualify as low-calorie dining options, such as Fukuoka’s pork stock ramen, Osaka’s deep-fried kushikatsu skewers, and Nagoya’s miso pork cutlets. However, Yamanashi Prefecture’s local specialty, hoto, is relatively healthy, as it’s primarily a vegetable stew with miso broth.

With that in mind, the fact that a zoo in Yamanashi is home to a raccoon who’s so plump he’s almost spherical is a little ironic…and also pretty adorable.

Manriki Park is located in Yamanashi City. In addition to a pond and picnic area, inside the grounds you’ll find the Manriki Park Animal Plaza. Despite charging no admission, the zoo has about 40 different species of animal residents, including capybaras, deer, and flamingos.

There’s also a group of raccoons (or a gaze of them, to use the specific term), which brings us to Puuta. The male raccoon has been living at the Manriki Park Animal Plaza for five years, and if nothing else, they’re definitely feeding him well, judging from his less than svelte physique.

https://twitter.com/Jodeyamer/status/535024227254947842

The zookeepers say they’ve never weighed Puuta, but estimate he weighs about 10 kilograms (22 pounds). While that’s a little on the hefty side for a raccoon, some adults grow to as many as 14 kilos, so if his handlers’ guess is accurate, Puuta’s weight, in and of itself, wouldn’t attract all that much attention.

His shape, though, definitely does.

https://twitter.com/XAI_251375/status/534674020180824064

https://twitter.com/XAI_251375/status/534674020180824064

Sometimes, though, big is beautiful, and Puuta’s online admirers have had the following to say:

“He’s sooooo round!”
“I’d heard about him, but he’s even rounder than I expected.”
“Is this a chestnut bean cake?”
“No matter how may times I look at him, he doesn’t look like a raccoon. Instead, I see a fluffy pillow.”

But while it’s natural for many animals to eat heavily in the fall to build up reserves of fat to see themselves through the winter, we can’t help but be a little concerned over how not little Puuta is. Here’s hoping the Manriki Park Animal Plaza staff keep an eye on his health, and while they’re at it, they might want to check up on another one of their charges, this roly-poly prairie dog.

▼ “Hey, Puuta! We hitting up the all-you-can-eat buffet later tonight, or what?”

Related: Manriki Park, Manriki Park Animal Plaza
Source: Naver Matome
Insert image: Yamanashi City