Smoking Monkey Forced to Quit

A smoking orangutan in Indonesia is moving on to healthier pastures.

Tori, a 15-year-old female orangutan, started her unhealthy habit nine years ago after visitors threw cigarette butts into her enclosure.

Zookeepers are concerned over her nicotine addiction which she mimicked from humans who smoke near her enclosure.

Tori and four other endangered orangutans are being moved away from Satwa Taru Jurug zoo in the Java town of Solo, some 360 miles (580 kilometers) east of the capital Jakarta, for their protection.

Visitors to the zoo were concerned about her health.

[Reffiana, Zoo Visitor]:
"When she asks for cigarettes we should ignore it, give her fruit or banana. This is not good for her health, smoking is bad for human and also for ape."

The Center for Orangutans (COP) started working with zoo managers to set up a program to rehabilitate Tori last month.

Both sides agreed that the ape should be moved away from visitors and put on an island in the province.

The NGO said it will help the ape be closer to her natural habitat.

[Lilik Kristianto, Zoo Director]:
"For the time being we have several program that we have planned, together with Center for Orangutans (COP), one is medical record, enrichment and renovation of enclosure to protect her from visitors."

He said several staff have been appointed to watch the ape in the cage.

[Lilik Kristianto, Zoo Director]:
"We have also planned to train the keepers and we will educate visitors too."

Results of Tori's medical test, to see how the nearly decade-long smoking habit has taken a toll on her health, took place on Saturday with the results yet to be made available.

Orangutans used to live in a lush forest and peatland region in Kalimantan and the Sumatra islands.

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