http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080327/tts-china-wildlife-offbeat-a73cdd6.html
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.ADVERTISEMENT
The animal is the pet of a man, identified by his surname Yun, who
is himself a smoker, Xinhua news agency said, quoting a local
newspaper.
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.
