Smoking chimp is a hit at renovated zoo in North Korea

A chimpanzee who smokes has become an instant hit at a zoo in North Korea.

19-year-old Azalea reportedly gets through about a pack a day - but officials insist she does not inhale.

In footage that would shock most animal lovers, visitors can be heard laughing with delight when Azalea showed off her habit at Pyongyang's newly reopened Central Zoo.

The chimpanzee is 'entertaining' crowds, including schoolchildren, by lighting her own cigarettes and then blowing out the smoke. She is either thrown a lighter by a trainer or can spark up from a previous cigarette.

The zoo has become a major new attraction due to a range of animals which have been trained to do various tricks including a basketball playing monkey that performs slam dunks and dogs apparently adding and subtracting on an abacus.

Renovations for the new zoo began in 2014 as part of leader Kim Jong Un's efforts to create more modern and impressive structures and leisure centres around the capital.