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Japanese People Are Going Bananas Over This Extremely Photogenic Gorilla

Japanese People Are Going Bananas Over This Extremely Photogenic Gorilla

December 28, 2017
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Many netizens from Japan have had their hearts stolen by the extremely photogenic silverback western lowland gorilla, Shabani, from Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya, Japan, with some even callin
via Instagram
There’s just something about the way he stares into the distance that’s so…alluring.
via Instagram
Shabani first became internet famous in early 2015 after many visitors of the zoo began posting pictures of him on social media. Since then, both Japanese and western media has picked up his story and posted many pictures of him, admiring his “handsome” look and his “thinking deep thoughts” pose, BBC reported.
via Instagram
According to the report, Shabani was born in Belgium in 1997. He was bred in Australia years later and was sent to Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya in 2007 as a gift.
via Instagram
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Western lowland gorillas are native to central Africa and considered as a critically-endangered species. They are often being hunted by poachers to sell their meat or skin.
via Instagram
There are people who even compared Shabani to many male celebrities who have brooding good looks. One comparison in particular that is oddly shared across social media is American celebrity George Clooney.
View post on Twitter
However, not everyone agrees that Shabani’s look resembles that of Clooney. One Twitter user suggested he looks more like the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs – probably due to his “holding the chin” pose.
View post on Twitter
Regardless of who he looks like, Shabani is a celebrity in his own right.
via Instagram
When he is not posing for the photographers, Shabani can be seen posing for several other product advertisements across Japan. It turns out that not only he is a superstar at the zoo, but he is also a model for the Nagoya-based department store Parco.
via Twitter
via Twitter
Featured image via Instagram / Gori2gorilla (Left), Taka_pee78 (Right)
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      Bryan Ke

      Bryan Ke is a Reporter for NextShark

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