Portly cross-eyed opossum Heidi slims down with strict diet

Heidi has trimmed down to a svelte 4.6 kilos from her initial weight of 5.2 kilos, a zoo spokeswoman said.

Her leaner physique means she’s more active and agile, making a healthier impression overall, she added.

But her famously crossed eyes don’t seem to be correcting themselves because the fat deposits behind her eyes that created her distinctive look aren’t shrinking.

“Heidi is still cross-eyed,” the spokeswoman said.

Click here for a Heidi photo gallery.

Even with her new figure Heidi remains a heavyweight among the other opossums at the zoo, though. Her sister Naira weighs an ideal 3.6 kilos, the zoo reported.

Heidi, who is believed to be two-and-a-half-years-old, was abandoned with Naira outside an animal shelter in North Carolina, and has been living at Leipzig Zoo since May last year after being transferred from a Danish zoo.

The zoo believes her eye condition might have been caused by her diet before she was abandoned, or by the fact that she is overweight and has fat deposits behind her eyes.

In late February Heidi attempted to fill sports oracle Paul The Octopus’ shoes, giving tips for the Academy Awards. Her predictions were spotty. While she correctly tipped the winners for the Best Actor and Actress, she got the Best Film award wrong.

DAPD/The Local/ka