Zookeepers Try To Get Chimpanzee To Stop Smoking

XI'AN, China -- 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 chimp 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.

The chimp got hooked on cigarettes years ago by picking up cigarette butts left by tourists.

In April, a South African zoo, the Bloemfontein Zoo, announced that it wanted its smoking chimp to go cold turkey. Keepers said Charlie also picked up the habit by watching smoking visitors.

People tossed him the smokes and he puffed away. A zoo official said that Charlie "acts like a naughty schoolboy" and hides his cigarettes when workers are around.