AFP - Friday, March
28
BEIJING (AFP) - - A tortoise that smokes and appears to
be addicted to nicotine has been discovered in China's northeastern
province of Jilin, state media reported on Thursday.
One day, Yun teased the tortoise by putting a cigarette butt
into its mouth, and to his surprise it started to smoke it,
according to the news agency.
From then on, he shared his cigarettes with his pet, Xinhua
said.
"It seems to have become addicted," Yun was quoted as
saying.
"Whenever I smoke in front of it, it will stick its head out of
the water and fidget about until I give it the stub."
Yun proved his claim by putting a cigarette in the tortoise's
mouth in front the paper's reporter and his neighbours, Xinhua
quoted the newspaper as saying.
To everyone's surprise, the tortoise finished it in less than
four minutes, the news agency said.
Monkeys have been know to smoke in imitation of human beings,
the deputy secretary-general of Jilin's Wildlife Conservation
Society told Xinhua.
But he said he had never heard of a tortoise lighting up.
Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080327/tts-china-wildlife-offbeat-a73cdd6.html
