A chimpanzee was filmed smoking a cigarette at a Chinese zoo after a visitor allegedly threw it into the animal's enclosure.
The clip, posted on Chinese social media, was recorded at Hefei Wildlife Park in eastern China's Anhui Province.
Footage of the 15-year-old primate picking the cigarette up and puffing away created controversy online.
The primate can be seen holding the cigarette before taking a puff after tourists reportedly threw it into the enclosure.
A zoo worker told Chinese news outlet The Paper that "uncivilised tourists" tossed the cigarette at the animal.
The unnamed employee also said the animal's health would not be affected by one cigarette: "It had one cigarette.
"Nothing bad will come of that. Humans smoke for tens of years."
The worker added it was difficult for the zoo to keep an eye on its large number of visitors
Thousands of tourists visit the park every day, but there are only about 100 workers.
Mr Zhan, a director of the zoo, told the Daily Mail the smoking primate was a 15-year-old female chimpanzee named Wan Xing.
He said the video was not filmed recently.
The director said the primate was born at the zoo in 2004 and now lives there with her father and her partner.
In July, Wan Xing's partner Yang Yang created chaos at the zoo after escaping from his enclosure using a bamboo tree.
The animal was subdued after being shot with a tranquiliser by police and now lives happily at the zoo, according to Mr Zhan.
Hefei Wildlife Zoo is home to about 2,000 animals and birds, including giant pandas, Indian elephants and leopards, according to China Daily .
Visitors at Hefei Park can stroll to watch free-roaming animals and feed them, as well as enjoy shows and performances.
