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RSS Feed Around the World20. 07. 09. - 17:00
Smoking not for minors
A Myna bird in China has taken up smoking after constantly pestering his owner to give him a cigarette.
Zhang Li, from Xuzhou in eastern China, said: "As soon as he sees me in the morning the first thing he says is that he wants a cigarette. And he doesn't stop pestering me until I give him one."
He said the bird called Xi Zi used to be quite happy with half a cigarette a day but now he likes to have a least three at different times of the day or becomes unbearable.
He said: "Whenever I light one up myself he just watches me the whole time - he is a complete addict now."
Li believes the Myna bird famed for its ability to impersonate humans learned to ask for a cigarette after seeing him ask his wife if he could have one of her cigarettes.
He said: "He is very talented, he can recite poetry and can sing but he refuses to do any of that until he's had a cigarette in the morning. Then he sits there happily chatting away and performing to anybody that comes to visit."
And he added: "I tried to help him quit smoking, but failed because he refuses to speak or eat unless I give him cigarettes."
Animal groups however criticised the man for allowing the bird to smoke. Local vet Shing Ma said: "It's absolutely harmful to the bird."
Austrian Times
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unless China cigarette harmful humans sits recite criticised wife smoking bird impersonate poetry Shing seeing absolutely performing pestering Myna chatting
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