Chimpanzee filmed smoking discarded cigarette butt in China zoo

Nanning Zoo confirmed that it was aware of the video and had launched an investigation.PHOTO: TRAVLY/ INSTAGRAM

A zoo in China is investigating an incident in which a chimpanzee was captured on video smoking a discarded cigarette butt, according to Chinese media.

The video, which has gone viral since it was posted on Instagram on March 11, shows the animal holding the cigarette to its mouth and puffing out at its enclosure at Nanning Zoo in Guangxi, southern China.

It has since amassed over 228,000 views and at least 9,800 likes as at March 15.

READ: Lawsuit: US amusement park lets chimpanzee smoke cigarettes

On March 12, Nanning Zoo confirmed that it was aware of the video and had launched an investigation. The exact date and time of the incident remain unclear.

The zoo said it will check if a visitor intentionally threw the cigarette butt into the chimpanzee’s enclosure.

According to Sina.com, the zoo has pledged to increase efforts to ensure the safety of its animals.

It is also looking to educate visitors about proper behavior, particularly the importance of refraining from feeding the animals or throwing objects at them.

READ: Study: Chimps solve problems better if there’s an audience

While some netizens expressed amusement at the footage, others voiced concerns about the primate’s welfare.

“Is he stressed and thus smoking?” one user said.

Another person wrote: “It’s not cute or funny. These animals need to be taken away from the zoo. That’s completely irresponsible.”

This is not the first time monkeys in zoos have been caught smoking.

A gorilla in Tianshan Wildlife Park in Xinjiang has been filmed on several occasions picking up discarded cigarette butts and puffing out smoke, QQ news reported.

The park on March 13 asked visitors to stop stuffing cigarettes into a small hole in the gorilla’s enclosure.

In 2019, Sohu news reported that a chimpanzee was filmed smoking a cigarette at Hefei Wildlife Park in Anhui province.