Russian boxer sparks fury after giving orangutan vape - before endangered ape reacts with 'disturbing behaviour'
The puffing primate inhaled a number of times in shocking footage and has been displaying 'disturbing' behaviour since the incident.
According to Russian outlet Zamin.uz, Anastasia Luchkina, a 24-year-old boxer who recently turned professional, faces a fine and ban from Taigan - along with the online backlash sent her way.
The orangutan, Dana, is the only one of its kind in Crimea and they report that the animal has not responded well to the e-cigarette.
There are fears that Dana swallowed one of the vape cartridges, which contains 2.5–3 ml of nicotine liquid.
Since being given the vape by Luchkina over the weekend, the orangutan has lost appetite and refuses to interact with visitors to the zoo.
Tests are being performed by vets on the animal, which is endangered and in the 'Red Book' of species under threat.
Luchkina's coach, Vladimir Akatov, gave a brief comment to Russian journalists, saying: 'I didn't know Anastasia was a smoker. She is currently on holiday.
'We will definitely discuss this matter when she returns.'
Dana has been living in the Crimean zoo since 2018 and the incident has sparked outrage on social media and Telegram, where the story first emerged.
One wrote: 'I hope that poor orangutan didn't get a disease from that.
Another called for the orangutan to be set free and the boxer put in the cage instead. While a third wrote: 'The poor ape swallowed the vape pot, that's gonna be extremely stressful if not deadly for the poor orangutan.'
Taigan Park list a number of rules - that 'teasing and frightening animals' is strictly prohibited, as is throwing objects into the enclosures.
'Reaching your arms and legs towards the animals through the bars and nets' is also forbidden, as is 'leaning against and touching the animals with various objects'.
It remains to be seen what kind of punishment will be dished out to Luchkina or if there will be fatal or long-term consequences for Dana.
The boxer has only fought once as a professional, losing to Indian fighter Vinaskshi by unanimous decision.
The fight was in the King of the Himalayan Ring event in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh last month.
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