Moscow, Feb 27 (IANS) Frequent 'treats' by visitors made a zoo inmate, Zhora the chimp, an alcoholic and nicotine addict, a Russian daily said.

Zoo authorities in Rostov -- 200 km northeast of Moscow -- were quoted by Komsomolskaya Pravda as saying Zhora, who had been brought to the zoo from the Tatarstan republic five years ago, was to be taken back to the republic for treatment in early March.

They said visitors at the zoo frequently gave the chimp, a former circus artist, alcohol and cigarettes which eventually led to heavy addiction, said a Ria Novosti report.

'We asked visitors not to give him (alcohol and cigarettes), but it was all in vain,' the Rostov zoo deputy head was quoted by the paper as saying.

Although Zhora was kept behind three rows of fences, visitors managed to throw bottles and cigarettes at him, Nadezhda Yeutushenko said.

'People laugh when they see an animal drinking (alcohol) and smoking, but vicious habits damage (the animal's) health, and many do not understand this,' zoo workers said.