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
There’s just something about the way he stares into the distance that’s so…alluring.
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.
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.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
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.
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.
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.
Regardless of who he looks like, Shabani is a celebrity in his own right.
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.
(H/T: Bored Panda)
Featured image via Instagram / Gori2gorilla (Left), Taka_pee78 (Right)
