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A North Korean zoo has been slammed by animal rights campaigners over its chain-smoking chimpanzee Azalea - who has a 20-a-day habit.

The Pyongyang chimp gets through a full pack each day, can use a lighter and has also learned to ignite her smokes with discarded butts.

According to her trainer, the 19-year-old primate does not actually inhale.

But pictures taken at the zoo, which recently reopened after a huge refurbishment, appear to show her blowing out a huge cloud of cigarette smoke.

Locals are said to be delighted by the animal's tricks, which also include an ability to dance.

But president of animal rights organisation PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, told Time magazine: “How cruel to wilfully addict a chimpanzee to tobacco for human amusement.

“Gradually, zoos are learning that spectacles like chimpanzee tea parties, elephant rides and photo ops with tiger cubs are inappropriate and exploitive, with the big question now being, why are we keeping wild animals behind bars at all?”