Ai Ai, a 30-year-old gorilla living in Qinling Wildlife Park in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, holds her 2-month-old offspring wherever she goes, carefully cradling the little gorilla in her arms.
Ai Ai gave birth on April 10. The gorilla mother and tiny offspring have since attracted curiosity and attention across the nation.
Ai Ai was imported from Japan with a male gorilla in 1982. The male gorilla died in 1989.
Ai Ai then became restless and irritable, refusing food, instead chewing on cigarette butts left on the ground by zoo visitors.
"We did not pay attention to her at first," said zookeeper Wang Aiying.
"But gradually the gorilla got a craving for tobacco and needed at least 20 cigarettes a day."
"If we refused to give her cigarettes, she would knock the door very hard, yelling and screaming, and sometimes she would go on a hunger strike," the zookeeper said.
In 1990, the zoo introduced another male gorilla, named Da Hu. Zookeepers said that they hoped companionship would curb Ai Ai's addiction.
However, Ai Ai's craving for tobacco did not abate.
When the female gorilla gave birth a year later, the zoo sent her offspring to a zoo in Shenyang, capital of northeast Liaoning province.
Zookeepers report that this turn of events led the gorilla to consume even more cigarettes.
"In 2005, we found that Ai Ai often suffered from constipation and had a bad state of mind, so we decided to change her life style," said Wu Ming, another zookeeper.
The zookeepers devised three methods to help the gorilla. First, they fed her more vegetables and fruits and decreased her access to cigarettes. Second, they asked a local media organization to help them collect information on tobacco addiction. Third, they sought another male gorilla companion for Ai Ai.
In September 2005, Ai Ai gave up her longstanding tobacco habit.
In May 2007, 29-year-old Ai Ai was sent to a zoo in Shandong province in east China to reside with a 17-year-old male gorilla named Lao Hei.
That August, Ai Ai was found to be pregnant. Earlier this year she gave birth to a healthy son.
Source: China Daily
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