Chimpanzee to Smoke a Pack of Cigarettes a Day

To make matters worse, spectators at North Korea’s Central Zoo in Pyongyang are not all

that upset about it. In fact, according to The Guardian, visitors have been having quite a laugh at the smoking chimp, snapping photos for social media and generally having a ball watching the spectacle.

As terribly sad as this whole situation is, we honestly can’t say that we’re all that surprised. To start, this is not the first time animal rights activists and campaigners have had their eyes on this zoo for questionable practices. NK News reported North Korea has stocked the zoo with exotic animals from countries all over the world, with many of the deals raising red flags among animal rights campaigners. The zoo has also been criticized in the past for keeping animals in extremely inadequate conditions and even instigating staged fights.

The situation at this North Korean Zoo just goes to show how animals in captivity are not treated with the respect they deserve and are instead manipulated to act in whichever way will generate more profit. Sadly, it seems that there are currently no steps in place to shut down this ridiculous zoo. So, at the moment, all we can do is hope that the media coverage on this ludicrous act will inspire activists to push forward and do everything they can to end this abuse. We’re fighting for you, Azalea!

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/zoo-thinks-its-fine-for-chimpanzee-to-smoke-a-pack-of-cigarettes-a-day/?utm_source=Green+Monster+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=c0fcc275f3-NEWSLETTER_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bbf62ddf34-c0fcc275f3-106919241