The ranger behind a viral selfie featuring two gorillas standing upright spoke about how the primates often imitate human behaviours in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mathieu Shamavu works as a ranger and caretaker at the Senkwekwe Center for Orphaned Mountain Gorillas, and took a selfie with two rescued gorillas called Ndakasi and Ndeze on 18 April.
The photograph was posted on social media and soon turned viral as people noticed how human-like the gorillas appeared as they stood upright and appeared to stoically pose.
"When they saw me take out my phone they dropped what they were doing, spotted the camera and watched," Shamavu said in an interview.
But this human-like behaviour is a normal occurrence for the gorillas at the Senkwekwe Center, Shamavu added.
"You see they can walk one or two metres on two legs but also these animals are so used [to humans], they like to imitate and do what people do," he said.
The Senkwekwe Center for Orphaned Mountain Gorillas was established in 2009 to care for orphaned mountain gorillas who were victims of poaching.
🦍🦍📸 Ranger explains viral gorilla photo | https://t.co/1LAeAJrVzD pic.twitter.com/wJBJotCAoO
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) April 25, 2019
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