At the Xi'an Zoo, there is a gorilla named Ai Ai, who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day and is very picky, and some people say that he only smokes a specific brand.
The story of his addiction to cigarettes because of the loss of his partner and children, and later quitting through music, once attracted a lot of attention and sympathy online. However, Ai Ai is not the only gorilla who smokes, in addition to gorillas, other animals have also learned to smoke.
Why are animals addicted to smoking like humans? Is this a problem of the animal itself, or is it the fault of man?
Human Bad Taste or Animal Self-Decompression?
In fact, there are many orangutans smoking around the world, such as "azaleas" in Pyongyang, "John" in Russia, etc., indicating that gorillas are close relatives of humans and can also experience the pleasure and withdrawal of nicotine.
In 2016, a female gorilla named Rhododendron went all over the world. The 19-year-old gorilla hails from the Pyongyang zoo in North Korea and smokes 20 cigarettes a day. Not only does it light cigarettes with lighters, but it also lights new cigarettes with unburned cigarette butts thrown by tourists.
It smokes with a focused look and elegant posture, like a seasoned smoker. It will even hold the cigarette between its fingers and then extend its arm out for visitors to light it themselves. Very "social"!
How do azaleas learn to smoke? It is said that it was learned from a male gorilla who has died. The male gorilla was once one of the most popular animals at the Pyongyang zoo because it mimicked human behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and talking on the phone.
After it died, Rhododendron took over its cigarettes and lighters and began his smoking career. Under the "cultivation" of the orangutan predecessors, it will even spit smoke rings!
The Pyongyang zoo said it had tried unsuccessfully to quit its addiction to azaleas.
Not only North Korea, but also many gorillas that smoke in other countries and regions. For example, on a Russian safari, there is a gorilla named John, who used to entertain gamblers in a casino.
People brought cigarettes to his mouth and whiskey into his stomach, and John suffered from diabetes, edema, and skin diseases, and had to be sent to quit smoking and drinking.
Although he later recovered, he died of a heart attack in 2016 at the age of 23, and gorillas in captivity generally live 30-50 years.
On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, there is a gorilla named Tora, who also learned to smoke from tourists. It smokes 40 cigarettes a day and is lit with matches or lighters.
It has a satisfied smile when smoking and interacts with visitors. Torah's smoking has raised concerns from animal protection groups, who have asked zoos to quit smoking and banned visitors from handing cigarettes to him.
These smoking gorillas are victims of humans, who have been taught a harmful habit by humans but are incapable of getting rid of it. They don't know how much damage cigarettes do to their bodies, or how humans ridicule and exploit them. They just want some happiness and comfort, but pay the price of their health.
Even pet dogs are hard to escape
In addition to gorillas being persecuted by humans and forced to smoke. There are even other pets that are not immune to poison. Some people will let their pet dogs smoke and even light them on fire in order to attract attention or amusement.
These people may find this funny, but they don't know that they are killing their dog.
Pet dog smoking can cause breathing difficulties, heart problems, lung cancer and other diseases, and pet dogs can also become dependent on nicotine, and experience withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Some dogs even devour cigarette butts dropped by others.
Heather, a British woman, and her husband, both smokers over 40 years old, forced their pet dogs to become addicted to cigarettes just for fun or to show off to friends.
Although Heather said she never imagined it would cause her dog to be harmed, her pet dog finally fell ill with lung cancer one day. Not long after her dog passed away, Heather also decided to quit smoking. But innocent dogs never had a chance to quit smoking again.
In addition to the owner deliberately letting the pet dog smoke, some people will also let the pet dog smoke for scientific experiments. In the last century, there was a famous experiment that used beagles to test the effects and effects of nicotine, and tobacco companies wanted to prove to the world that "tobacco is harmless".
These innocent beagles were forced to wear masks or cut their throats to smoke directly, and when they died, they were replaced by another one, but the tobacco company claimed that these dogs that smoked every day were healthier. These experiments not only caused great torture to the Beagle, but also did not reach valid conclusions, because the physiological structure and response of humans and animals are not exactly the same.
In fact, mammals have nicotine receptors and are easily addicted to nicotine. Nicotine, on the other hand, is a neurotoxin that stimulates the nervous system and produces feelings of pleasure and excitement.
But nicotine can also interfere with the normal functioning of the nervous system, leading to problems such as rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and vasoconstriction. Long-term inhalation of nicotine can damage lung tissue and increase the risk of lung cancer. Nicotine also affects the immune system and endocrine system, reducing resistance and metabolism.
The cigarettes seen on weekdays are divided according to the weight of humans, so when cigarettes act on pet dogs with lighter weights, the harm is greater. So pets are more unbearable and even accelerate death.
The ultimate culprit of the magpie's "arson"?
In fact, whether it is an orangutan or a pet dog, they are forced to contact cigarettes by humans. These actions make us feel angry and sad.
However, some animals are not directly harmed by humans, but passively suffer from the effects of humans. Wild birds, for example, are seriously harmed by human smoking.
Magpies are very intelligent and curious birds that like to collect all kinds of interesting or shiny things to decorate their nests.
Sometimes, they will pick up some smoking cigarette butts on the side of the road or in the trash can and bring them back to the nest, which can easily cause a fire, not only endangering their own lives and those of their companions, but also destroying the surrounding vegetation and other animals.
Nicotine is one of the most important harmful components of cigarettes, it can enter the body of birds through the respiratory tract or skin, causing damage to their heart, lungs, nervous system, etc.
Nicotine can also affect the reproductive capacity of birds, causing embryos to become malformed or die. However, nicotine also has a certain insect repellent effect, and some birds will deliberately swallow or decorate the nest with substances containing nicotine, such as cigarette butts and tobacco leaves, so as to prevent parasites on the body and in the nest.
Although this behavior can temporarily relieve itching, it may carry a greater risk.
Nicotine affects not only the health of animals, but also the ecology of animals. Nicotine can persist in the environment for a long time, passing on to other animals through the food chain. Some studies have found that nicotine alters interactions between birds and insects, affecting their abundance and distribution.
epilogue
Human smoking behavior is harmful not only to themselves, but also to animals. Whether orangutans, dogs or other animals, they can become addicted to cigarettes or even be injured by fires caused by cigarette butts due to human negligence or mischief.
These animals not only suffer physical injuries, but also lose their natural way of life and habits. They fall victim to human entertainment and experimentation, losing their dignity and freedom.
We should reflect on our attitudes and behaviors towards animals, whether we truly respect and protect their lives. We should be aware that animals are not our toys or tools, they have their own feelings and needs.
We should keep animals in their natural state, not impose human habits and standards on them.
Resources:
1. Russian chimpanzee casino "work" infected with vices was sent to labor re-education to quit smoking and alcohol--science and technology--People's Network (people.com.cn)
2. Are there any other mammals besides humans who use drugs? - Zhihu (zhihu.com)
3. Is smoking harmful? British Tobacco used 48 dogs to experiment and smoke 100 cigarettes a day for three years|cigarettes|smoking_NetEase subscription (163.com)
4. Inventory of the harm of second-hand smoke_Nantong Sixth People's Hospital (nt6y.com)
5. What diseases will the pets in the family suffer from smoking by the owner? - Zhihu (zhihu.com)