The "overweight" Siberian tigers of Harbin city, northeast China's Heilongjiang province [Photo: CNTV]

The Siberian tigers from a park in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang province, have become internet sensation recently, not for being sleek and beautiful, but for putting on too much weight over the winter.

As netizens joked that their chubby appearance was because the tigers spent their Spring Festival holiday "eating too much", the zoo stood out on Friday saying that their tigers are not "overweight".

"It's normal for Serbian tigers to put on 20-25 kilograms over winter," said Huang Haitao, keeper of the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin.

　　The "overweight" Siberian tigers of Harbin city, northeast China's Heilongjiang province [Photo: CNTV]

The tigers are cubs, and just one and a half years old. At a height of 1.5 meters and weighing 100 kilograms, the tiger cubs do look much "fatter" than they should, although they are all under the normal weight, Huang says.

　　The "overweight" Siberian tigers of Harbin city, northeast China's Heilongjiang province [Photo: CNTV]

Tigers usually eat more after late autumn in order to build up fat reserves for the winter. The Serbian tiger cubs are fed once a day with about 5 kilograms meat for every meal, added the keeper.

　　The "overweight" Siberian tiger of Harbin city, northeast China's Heilongjiang province [Photo: CNTV]

Huang Haitao also said that after the weather gets warmer, they change the tiger's diet, which will help them "lose weight", making them sleek and beautiful once again.

　　The "overweight" Siberian tiger of Harbin city, northeast China's Heilongjiang province [Photo: CNTV]