Charlie the smoking chimp, RIP

Chimp Charlie has died. As I posted in 2005, the 52-year-old chimpanzee became "famous" after picking up smoking thanks to jerks who tossed him lit cigarettes. Apparently though, Charlie died of old age. From the BBC:

For years, zookeepers had been trying to get the chimp to kick the habit, and they discouraged visitors from giving him cigarettes.

But Mr Khedama said he did not believe the addiction had ended Charlie's life prematurely, as he had lived around 10 years longer than the average chimp.

"He was on serious medications and in and out of the vet," he said....

Mr Khedama said the zoo hopes to find a new companion for its female chimp, Judy.

But he said: "We realise it will be almost impossible to replace a character like Charlie."

"Chimp Charlie dies at 52 despite smoking habit"

• [nanuq]

  Handing a chimp cigarettes is one thing, but who was giving him a lighter?

• [Black_Vase]

  Here you go, definitive proof that cigarettes don’t kill everyone who smokes them, they can go on to live long, healthy lives. (or maybe living in captivity has something to do with it to?) Now put that in your pipe and smoke it, all you smoke Nazis!

  • [3lbFlax]

    Well, in the interest of not taking any chances I suggest we should put all our smokers in captivity and feed them a steady diet of bananas and insects.

    • [Black_Vase]

      Just as long as visitors keep giving us cigarettes we’ll be happy.

• [Black_Vase]

  (Anti smokers are)Obnoxious , self-righteous, whining little fucks. My biggest fear is that if I quit smoking, I’ll become on of you. Don’t take that wrong. I have something to tell you non-smokers that I know for a fact that you don’t know, and I feel it’s my duty to pass on information at all times. Ready?…….Non-smokers die every day. Enjoy your evening. See, I know that you entertain this eternal life fantasy because you’ve chosen not to smoke, but let me be the 1st to POP that bubble and bring you hurtling back to reality….You’re dead too.

  - Bill Hicks

  • [Antinous / Moderator]

    Yeah, we all die. But you’ll be crawling on all fours trailing an oxygen canister for a decade before you cough and hack your way into oblivion.

• [Eric Ragle]

  Look, I know it’s wrong that people got him hooked on cigarettes. It’s a vile and disgusting habit that I myself used to participate in. But you have to admit that it’s sort of cute to see a chimp smoking.

• [aeon]

  Very accommodating vet…

• [Peony]

  Ironic that he lived longer smoking!

• [dragonfrog]

  My mom has a postcard from a bar in Paris that used to be famous for its smoking cat. I think the name of the place was “Bar Orlando”, but I couldn’t turn up any information on it in a cursory google search.

• [knoxblox]

  I own a Bc Ethic t-shirt with Charlie on it, and happens to be black in color. Maybe I’ll wear it tomorrow in mourning.

• [nutbastard]

  this is only ‘surprising’ if you buy into the anti-smoking propaganda that’s basically cemented in the minds of the public the notion that if you smoke, you will die early of a smoking related illness.

  smokers get lung cancer about 10x more often than nonsmokers. that’s 1.4% of nonsmokers and 14% of lifelong smokers. if you quit smoking before you’re 40, your risk goes down to about 2-3%.

  oooh, scary. but flip it around – 86% of lifelong smokers will never develop lung cancer.

  is smoking GOOD for you? hell no, but it’s not the demon it’s made out to be. besides, one cannot put a price on happiness. eat, drink, smoke and be merry.

• [Antinous / Moderator]

  Addiction =/= happiness.

• [narddogz]

  I hate to say it, but he DOES look cooler smoking.