Smoking Chimp Rescued in Lebanon, Sent to Brazil: Can Omega Kick the Habit?

(CBS/AP) Poor Omega. The 12-year-old chimpanzee has never climbed a tree or seen any other chimps.

Maybe that's one reason he took up smoking.

But the 132-pound ape was jetting to a sanctuary in Brazil on Monday after animal rights workers discovered him lighting up at the Lebanese zoo where he lived.

"The chimp still regularly smokes ... if someone will throw him a cigarette he'd pick it up and go for it straight away," said Jason Meier, executive director for animal rights group Animals Lebanon.

In his younger years, Omega was used in one of the local restaurants to entertain people and was made to smoke cigarettes and serve water pipes to customers. After he grew stronger, he was locked up and taken to a zoo where for the past 10 years he has lived in a cage measuring 430 square feet.

Animals Lebanon heard about the zoo in Ansar, near the market town of Nabatiyeh, about six months ago. They have since successfully worked with the owner to close the zoo and find homes for the animals.

For Omega, home will be a sanctuary in Sao Paolo, Brazil where he is to be flown later Monday aboard an Emirates airlines flight.

If Omega manages to kick the habit, he'll be doing his health a good turn. Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including at least 50 known to cause cancer in animals (and humans), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

No word on how Omega's new keepers will wean him off cigarettes.

Cold turkey? Maybe he'll go on the patch.