Shabani, a silverback gorilla at a Japanese zoo, has already had a huge fan following because female visitors found him dashing. Now a video of the same silverback gorilla and his son closely observing a caterpillar has gone viral. The way they observe the little creature looks comically human. Nature has a habit of throwing surprises time and again.
Watch the video of silverback gorilla observing caterpillar
The 47-second clip has gone viral on social media. Many on Twitter praised how keen observers the gorillas are. Some were surprised to see that animals other than humans could also be keen observers. The two observe the caterpillar for a few seconds without moving. Then the son moves a bit closer for a better look at the caterpillar.
Silverback and his son, calmly observe a caterpillar. pic.twitter.com/8vH9Cgp6kf
— Back To Nature (@backt0nature) August 18, 2020
The video of the silverback gorilla and his son observing caterpillar was recorded at the Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya region of southern Japan. Shabani and his son encountered the bug while it was shuffling its way through the floor of gorillas’ enclosure at the zoo. The father encourages the son to take a closer look at the caterpillar.
Shabani and his son rest their arms to look closely at the bug. Their pose looks identical to how humans would position themselves in the same situation. The caterpillar, probably scared to be around two giant animals, tries to escape. But Shabani flicks it away immediately.
Who is Shabani, the silverback gorilla?
23-year-old Shabani has been living at the Higashiyama Zoo since 2007. He was brought from the Taronga Zoo in Australia to help the Higashiyama Zoo with their gorilla breeding plan. Shabani came from the Netherlands to Australia in December 1996 with his family when he was just two months old.
He is the only male with three gorilla females at the zoo. He has produced two children – a son named Kiyomasa and a daughter named Annie. Kiyomasa accompanied Shabani in the video.
Visitors have often praised Shabani for his playful attitude. The silverback gorilla is also protective of his children. According to Chunichi, female visitors find Shabani ‘handsome’ and ‘dashing’. Maybe the viral video will boost his popularity beyond Japan.
