Zoo condemned as “cruel” for video of monkey smoking a cigarette
A Chinese zoo has been condemned as cruel and exploitative online after a video of a small monkey smoking a cigarette went viral. Hengshui Wildlife Park, in the province of Hebei, responded to critics, claiming the video was part of an anti-smoking campaign.
The video, which had been uploaded to the zoo’s official social media accounts last week before being deleted, shows the monkey sitting on a bench dressed in a purple onesie. It can be seen puffing on the cigarette before the cigarette is removed by a woman.
The monkey, blinking repeatedly, rubs its eye, seemingly because of the smoke, before falling backwards.
The video has been criticised widely online after being shared to social media and subsequently being picked up by Chinese media outlets. Critics condemned the video as “sick” and called for action to be taken against the zoo.
PETA Asia Vice President Jason Baker told Yahoo News Australia that it was disturbing to see an incident like this framed as entertaining, saying, "How cruel to force a baby monkey to smoke for human amusement. Gradually, zoos are learning that spectacles like monkey performances, elephant rides, and photo ops with tiger cubs are inappropriate and exploitative."
An employee at the zoo told Red Star News that even though the cigarette was lit, the monkey did not inhale any of the smoke, and was simply posing for a video designed to highlight the issues associated with smoking.
Broadcaster CCTV said that zoos should be setting an example of how to treat animals, and questioned how effective it was to use a monkey to influence human habits.
The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation has commenced an investigation, with deputy secretary general Ma Yong calling the incident “unreasonable” and stating that it was most likely illegal. He added that the zoo would be under close scrutiny following the incident.
Roughly 28% of the Chinese population, or 316 million people, smoke, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Image: The Paper