A North Korea zoo inmate is pulling in visitors because she puffs on a pack of cigarettes every day. Azalea, a 19-year-old chimpanzee's antics makes the visitors roar with laughter, but animal rights activists are upset
Azalea seen lighting a cigarette at the Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea. PICS/AP
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Smoking may be injurious for health, but it surely good for the (financial) health of this zoo in North Korea.
The newly renovated and opened zoo at the North Korean capital of Pyongyang has a new star: Azalea, the smoking chimpanzee. According to officials at the newly renovated zoo, which has become a favorite leisure spot since re-opening in July, the 19-year-old female chimpanzee, whose name in Korean is "Dallae", smokes about a pack a day. Dallae is short for azalea.
The authorities insist, however, that she doesn't inhale. Thrown a lighter by a zoo trainer, the chimpanzee lights her own cigarettes. If a lighter isn't available, she can light up from lit cigarette if one is tossed her way. Though such a sight would draw outrage in many other locales, it seems to delight some visitors who roar with laughter as the chimpanzee, one of two at the zoo, sits puffing away as her trainer egged her on.
The trainer also prompts her to touch her nose, bow thank you and do a simple dance.
The zoo is pulling in thousands of visitors a day with a slew of attractions ranging from such typical fare as elephants, giraffes, penguins and monkeys to a high-tech natural history museum with displays showing the origins of the solar system and the evolution of life on Earth.
Another of the most popular attractions that might come as a surprise to foreign visitors is the dog pavilion, which has everything from German shepherds to Shih Tzus.
The zoo also has performances featuring other animals trained to do tricks, including a monkey that slam dunks basketballs, dogs trained to appear as though they can do addition on subtraction on an abacus and doves that fly around and land on a woman skating on an indoor stage.
Renovations for the new zoo began in 2014, as part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's efforts to create more modern and impressive structures and leisure centers around the capital.
The zoo actually dates back to 1959, when Kim Il Sung, the nation's first leader and the grandfather of Kim Jong Un, ordered it built on the outskirts of the city.
According to its official history, the zoo started off with only 50 badgers.
Twitterati were shocked by the news. While many attempted to look at the issue in a lighter vein, there were some who felt it was a matter of animal abuse.
The news also prompted a sharp rebuke from advocates against animal abuse.
“How cruel to willfully addict a chimpanzee to tobacco for human amusement,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement released to TIME. “Gradually, zoos are learning that spectacles like chimpanzee tea parties, elephant rides and photo ops with tiger cubs are inappropriate and exploitive, with the big question now being, why are we keeping wild animals behind bars at all?”
While it’s possible for humans to train primates how to smoke tobacco, primatologist Frans B.M. de Waal says it’s a form of animal cruelty. “Of course, it is as addictive and unhealthy [for primates] as it is for humans,” he told The Huffington Post.
Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, called the North Korean exhibit cruel, but also suggested that other exhibits in zoos across the world are just as appalling.
“How cruel to willfully addict a chimpanzee to tobacco for human amusement,” Newkirk said in an emailed to HuffPost. “Gradually, zoos are learning that spectacles such as chimpanzee tea parties, elephant rides and photo ops with tiger cubs are inappropriate and exploitative. The big question now is why are we keeping wild animals behind bars at all.”
HERE ARE SOME OF THE TWITTER REACTIONS:
AP Pyongyang bureau still hasn't reported how N Korea treats the human beings it keeps behind fences.https://t.co/EqWIRqZamk via @YahooNews
— Joshua Stanton (@freekorea_us) October 20, 2016
"Azalea had managed to quit. But when news of #Harambe got to her, she slid back to her pack-a-day habit."https://t.co/KUUjtJQFwU
— Sam Nation (@SamNationShow) October 19, 2016
"We are this weird-metaphorical-thing" is a trite meme, but we are all this cigarette-smoking chimp in North Korea https://t.co/tVYEnnbbAW
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) October 19, 2016
Luckily the chimp in the cage next to him is the famous oncologist chimp https://t.co/OSvn4861Ek
— Jack Heine (@dadjack) October 19, 2016
But she had quit until the #Cubs lost two in a row. https://t.co/RD7SarqJvN
— Mike Janssen (@MikeJanssenWX) October 19, 2016
A case of animal abuse. "Azalea the smoking chimp" didn't start the habit without human intervention! https://t.co/FuVZw5vhWx
— Lori M. Horvath (@RiverfrontView) October 19, 2016
North Korea might not have much, but they do have Azalea the smoking chimpanzee at their zoo. pic.twitter.com/oXddHmep0P
— John Cid (@cid_john) October 19, 2016
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