The images on People's Daily Online show some rather tubby Siberian tigers lolling around at a zoo in northeast China's Harbin.

 

这些照片来自人民网，照片上几只胖乎乎的东北虎懒洋洋地躺在中国东北的哈尔滨的一家动物园内。
 

 

Some social media users have joked that the cats were a little over-indulgent over China's Spring Festival, which revolves¹ around a run of excessive family feasts.

 

While many commenters have raised concerns about the large size of the animals, it is natural for the tigers to overeat over the winter months in a bid to survive the harsh Siberian winters.

 

Similar temperatures are witnessed in Harbin, which is nicknamed Ice City.

 

The area often experiences lows of minus 18 degrees Celsius² in January. February and March can prove to be equally as bitter.

 

Siberian tigers are famed for being the biggest cat species on the planet.

 

There was one unconfirmed report of a wild male tiger weighing 847lbs back in 1950 and a record-breaking captive Siberian tiger named Jaipur tipped the scales at a colossal³ 1,025lbs.

 

The tigers recently photographed in Harbin should return to their regular weight during the summer months.

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