Zookeepers in South Africa are working to help a chimpanzee who has become addicted to smoking after picking up cigarettes thrown to him by zoo visitors, according to a Local 6 News report.

Officials at the Bloemfontein Zoo said Charley (pictured, left) first grabbed a cigarette and then mimicked humans.

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"Charley's picked up the habit from watching people," Bloemfontein Zoo official Daryl Barnes said. "He learns from mimicry."

Since Charley has started smoking, crowds have started throwing lit cigarettes into the chimpanzee's pen, Local 6 News reported.

Zookeepers have asked people to stop offering Charley cigarettes, saying they are worried it will damage his lungs, according to the report.

Officials said the ape "acts like a naughty schoolboy" and hides his cigarettes when his handlers are around.

Zoo officials plan to eventually make Charley go cold turkey and stop the habit.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.