Smoking Chimps

I remember reading a story a while back about a chimp in a zoo who was hooked on cigarettes. People talked about this like it was a new thing. In fact, when I was about two or three I went to the zoo in Baton Rouge--the saddest, most depressing zoo ever--and the chimps there smoked. Above is a photo taken during that trip; the one in the middle is tokin' on a smoke. (Click on the photo for a bigger view.)

Really, can you blame them? There's obviously nothing else for them to do, not even a lousy tire swing. Just a moat and some concrete. Hopefully some of the hippies who visited the zoo in its day tossed them a joint or two.