Oud circus-chimpansee in dierentuin Rostov (Rusland) naar afkickcentrum - Aap begint na zijn circusleven zwaar te roken en drinken

Primate rehab for Rostov chimp

27-02-2010 Kyrgyzstan News.Net, Kyrgyzstan


In further signs that primates are our evolutionary cousins, a chimpanzee in Russia has been sent to rehab by his zookeepers due to his excessive smoking and abuse of alcohol.

Zhora, who used to be a successful circus performer, has struggled to cope with life out of the limelight and began to drink and smoke heavily after he was transferred to a zoo in the southern Russian city of Rostov.

It was here that he became popular with the ladies, fathering several baby chimps. He also learnt to draw with markers, as well as how to smoke and drink from the bottle.

“The beer and cigarettes were ruining him. He would pester passers-by for booze,” reported the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.

It is unknown how long Zhora will be in rehab in the city of Kazan, about 800km east of Moscow.
(Bron: http://www.kyrgyzstannews.net/)

Note Kraaijer:
The Russian chimp is not the first chimpanzee in captivity who smokes: