ZOO AT SOUTH AFRICA

When chimpanzees in circuses were a success, one of the atrocities committed by circuses’ owners against the primates was to addicted them in cigarettes. The old Garcia Circus, in Brazil, had several smoking chimpanzees and, like a competition, other Brazilian circuses did the same. Junior, who is more than 30 years old and lives at Sorocaba Sanctuary today, was one who used to be addicted.

Last October 5^th, chimpanzee Charlie, 52 years old, died at Bloemfontein, South Africa. He was a smoker e must have been addicted when he lived in a circus. Continuing the absurd of the circus, Charlie used to ask for the visitors of the zoo to throw him lighted cigarettes to smoke and people, not knowing what was happening, used to answer his request. Therefore, the addiction continued at the zoo (the video exhibited by the zoo shows Charlie smoking).

Only when international protests became intense, the zoo did what need to be done to avoid that the visitor sustained the addiction of the chimpanzee.

Charlie was 52 years old and could have lived more 10 to 20 years. But the human addiction of smoking, which kills a lot of people, led him to death prematurely.

Dr. Pedro A. Ynterian
Presidente, Projeto GAP Internacional

Watch the video: http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=948