BEIJING: Xiku, the chain-smoking chimpanzee, has almost kicked his deadly habit thanks to the efforts of zookeepers in China. But it has taken a beer or two to help get him through detox. Xiku became addicted to smoking while mimicking the habits of humans during a career as a circus performer, the state-run Xinhua news agency said on Friday. By the time he was sent to a zoo in Urumqi, the capital of China's northwest Xinjiang region, in 2002, Xiku smoked 10 cigarettes a day. That number doubled as visitors threw him cigarettes for amusement, but he is now down to smoking four a day after some unorthodox efforts from zookeepers, Xinhua said. "At the beginning, he became irascible when he wanted to smoke, jolting windows and doors," Xinhua quoted one of the keepers as saying.
"We sometimes gave him some sunflower seeds or a bottle of beer to help him shake off the addiction and visitors are no longer allowed to throw him cigarettes."
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1037298
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I couldn't help but chuckle a bit upon reading the above article. Humans have been fighting addiction for as long as we have been around. And it never fails that when giving up one vice, many tend to pick up another. For example, my father quit drinking (but increased his cigarette intake) -- then decided to quit smoking (and increased his food intake) -- recently he attempted to go on a diet (and began smoking and drinking again) -- now he happily does all three! It amazes me how animals are just like us ;)
Or is it us that are just like the animals? Weren't the monkeys here first?
Anyway, I feel so bad for that poor monkey. I have been trying for years to quit smoking....