Chinese Try to Get Chimp to Quit Smoking

[malachi]

If your like me the first thing I think of when I see the word "Chimp", is our boy, the feckin' idgit in chief. Sort of how the word gay and kleenex have taken on meanings outside their original intent.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050826/D8C7FDG81.html

XI'AN, China (AP) - The handlers of a smoking chimpanzee in a zoo in northwest China are trying to get her to kick the habit.

The 26-year-old female chimpanzee has been smoking for 15 years. Her mate died recently, which caused her to smoke even more.

Now, the chimp's keepers are worried about her health as a result of her intense smoking. So, they're trying to give her milk instead of cigarettes.

She started smoking years ago by picking up butts from tourists.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050826/D8C7FDG81.html

[Richard D]

1. This headline . . .

. . . really begs for photoshopping of the chimp-in-chief.

[pointblank]

2. OMG

Real chimps actually smoke habitually???????????????

I have seen them smoking in pictures, but thought they were just given a cigarette as sort of a novelty picture opportunity.

This can't be true. Hilarious.

[YOY]

3. Behold the addictive power of nicotine

Not a novelty gag...although it is darkly amusing.

Also on the addictive effects of some substances on primates, I bleieve I've heard tell of monkeys drinking themsleves to death, but only after being given the first sips of alchohol forcably...they refused to touch it before that.