Photo: Khaled Desouki (Getty)
She’s no Smokin’ Jay Cutler, but she’s damn near just as entertaining.
Animals are pretty damn talented — just like the animals who somehow ran for office. Or better yet, this awesome chimp with the drive to carry as many oranges as possible. But this chimp? This chimp just enjoys smoking it up.
Meet Azalea. She’s a 19-year-old chimpanzee at Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea who might occasionally pick up her feces and throw them at the crowd just for a cheap laugh every now and then, but the reason why she’s blowing up the internet this week is because she apparently smokes more cigarettes than a New Jersey grandmother.
#HNNVet Meet Azalea the SMOKING chimpanzee and latest zoo attraction! https://t.co/nqGdCmf35F pic.twitter.com/Ai0mKJLqiy
— Kemi O-Olunloyo (@HNNAfrica) October 19, 2016
AP photographer Wong Maye-E snapped several amazing shots of Azalea burning heaters Wednesday afternoon, something that has absolutely destroyed the panties of the folks over at PETA.
Smoking chimpanzee in North Korean zoo: Interesting? Or just plain wrong?https://t.co/O9EXAbhcT2 pic.twitter.com/OWNQ3lLpPE
— The Press & Journal (@pressjournal) October 19, 2016
According to Time, Azalea’s Korean name is “Dallae,” and she is one talented chimp who “smokes about a pack each day and can light them herself when tossed a lighter or an already-lit cigarette from a trainer.”
Meet Azalea, the smoking chimpanzee https://t.co/Ce1kHSq9Y3 pic.twitter.com/7xXTfOwTFo
— politics news (@POLITICSUSA2) October 19, 2016
Wednesday was a big day for Azalea, as everyone from school children to old folks gathered around for a once-in-a-lifetime show. Here’s how that played out:
“She would perform little tricks like touch her nose, bow and raise her arms to greet visitors. He (the trainer) would also break into a little tune for her and she would circle round as if she was dancing,” Wong added. “Then later on, he asked a member of the audience for a cigarette and a lighter. He threw the cigarette into the exhibit and after she went to pick it up, he made her gesture with two hands out as he threw a lighter to her. She then lit her cigarette, and then threw the lighter back towards the keeper who was standing among the visitors still. It seemed to be a routine and part of the entertainment factor. It was part of her ‘song and dance’ number.”
Wong also said the crowd was “amused” and “laughing” at the spectacle of a smoking chimp. Zoo officials added that Azalea doesn’t inhale when she puts on a show, which is great in terms of how much longer her performing career will last.
