Azalea, a 19-year-old female chimpanzee in Pyongyang, North Korea, is one of the most popular animals at the Pyongyang Central Zoo for its hobby -- lighting a cigarette and smoking it. It is reported that she smokes about a pack of cigarettes every day.
Visitors seem to be amused by the animal's display of human-like activity, but many animal rights advocates have voiced concerns and anger over the zoo's decision to teach and encourage the chimp to smoke.
PETA president Ingrid Newkirk stated, "How cruel to willfully addict a chimpanzee to tobacco for human amusement," during an interview with 'Time' magazine.
The Pyongyang Central Zoo has a history of animal rights violations as in the past, videos smuggled out of North Korea showed endangered animals fighting at the zoo.
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