Charlie the smoking chimp - Experts say peer pressure is a major reason people take up smoking. Charlie, a chimp at the Bloemfontein Zoo in South Africa, may be another victim.

"When he sees people smoking outside his enclosure, he begs for a cigarette," Daryl Barnes, the zoo's senior nature conservator, explained in an e-mail. After a visitor tosses one his way, he "has a few puffs" while sitting on the grass or a stump. (Full story)

Chimp Ai Ai Chucks Bad Habit! - China is the world's No. 1 cigarette consumer and little is written there about its dangers. China also has few laws to protect animals. After her first mate died in 1989, Ai Ai, a chimp at the Qinling Safari Park in north-China, began smoking. When her second mate died in 1997 and her daughter was sent to another zoo, Ai Ai began demanding more cigarettes from her keepers. But Ai Ai recently kicked the habit through music therapy and exercise. The Xinhua news agency said she "squealed for cigarettes at the start but gradually forgot about them." Her zookeeper said Ai Ai got fried dishes and dumplings at each meal, along with her usual milk, banana and rice. She also got to wear a Walkman and listen to pop music.