The spokesman openly admits that zoo security officers are not able to monitor everything. But after the incident, the staff inspected all the cages and made sure that there were no dangerous items like cigarettes.
Ho Chi Minh, First Published Jun 24, 2022, 10:13 AM IST
Smoking and alcohol consumption are common among humans. It may not be easy for humans to say goodbye to such bad habits. But what about animals? Such habits are not uncommon in them. Even if there is, we are responsible for it. A video of an orangutan smoking an endangered species at a Vietnamese zoo has gone viral on social media. There is strong criticism against this.
The incident took place at the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden in Ho Chi Minh City. This footage is spreading like wildfire on the internet and it is making animal lovers angry. In the video, a man is seen sitting on the floor with a cigarette inserted between his fingers like a man in an orangutan. In addition, after smoking a cigarette twice, the orangutan can be seen sticking out the cigarette butt on the stone that was there. And then make sure it is tied properly.
This critically endangered orangutan is native to Borneo, Malaysia. Zoo officials say their staff gave the orangutan a cigarette. Instead, they revealed that a visitor was throwing a cigarette into its cage. But she said she did not know how the orangutan pulled it off. It’s amazing how exactly a cigarette can be smoked without anyone telling you how to smoke it. “People often throw stuff into animal cages. The orangutan that imitates people watching how they use these things is imitating that,” a zoo spokesman said.
The spokesman openly admits that zoo security officers are not able to monitor everything. But after the incident, the staff inspected all the cages and made sure that there were no dangerous items like cigarettes. Warning boards have been put up everywhere asking people not to throw rubbish into animal cages. Yet people ignore it and throw a lot of stuff into the cage, the zoo says.
There have been many cases of animals smoking in zoos in the past, especially in China. Last year, a baby monkey was forced to smoke a cigarette in front of a camera as part of a public health campaign at Hengshui Wildlife Park. The zoo came forward with the explanation that the video was shot to make the public aware that the incident seemed to be out of hand. They added that the monkeys there usually do not smoke.
Last Updated Jun 24, 2022, 10:13 AM IST
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