Azalea | |
---|---|
Born | 1996 (age 27–28) |
Nationality | North Korean |
Other names | Dallae |
Occupation | Korea Central Zoo performer |
Known for | Smoking cigarettes |
Azalea (known in Korean as Dallae) is a chimpanzee housed at the Korea Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea. She is best known for her ability to smoke cigarettes, a behavior that has garnered criticism from multiple animal rights organizations.
Azalea smokes about one pack of cigarettes a day, [1] though she reportedly does not inhale when smoking. [2] She is able to light her own cigarettes using a lighter and has also learned to light a cigarette by touching it to the end of a lit cigarette. [1] Azalea's trainers support her smoking, providing her with both supplies and encouragement. Azalea is popular with the zoo's visitors, many of whom find her funny. [1] Smoking is a widespread habit among men in North Korea, with approximately 45% of men smoking on a regular basis. [2] [3]
Azalea is also able to perform tricks like dancing, bowing, and touching her nose. [1]
The Zoo has been criticized by PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, who stated that it was "cruel to willfully addict a chimpanzee to tobacco for human amusement" and that smoking was as dangerous to Azalea as it is to humans. [4] [5]
The Animal Legal Defense Fund 's Director of Litigation has described the keeping and treatment of Azalea as part of a larger problem with displaying captive wildlife for profit, stating that "they are made to do unnatural and freakish things to attract gawkers". [5]
Azalea is not the only animal at the zoo known for "less-than-ethical" habits, with other exhibits including a dog that can manipulate an abacus, basketball-playing monkeys, and a group of doves that perform a figure-skating routine. [2]
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