Meet Shabani, Japan’s Most Handsome Gorilla

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Gorilla my dreams? Japanese women have gone ape over Shabani, a western lowland gorilla residing at Nagoya, Japan‘s Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens. handsome-gorilla-5

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Gorillas have been called many things but “handsome” hasn’t often made the list… until now, that is. Meet Shabani, a suave silverback who’s provoking primal urges in the hearts of Japanese women. The so-called George Clooney of knuckle-dragging primates has even reached “ikimen” status, the term meaning “good-looking man” in Japanese. One wonders what Japanese men must feel about Shabani’s intense animal magnetism.

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Though he’s adored by the ladies, Shabani has his male admirers as well. “He’s a very distinguished and sophisticated gorilla,” according to one ape-fan’s tweet. “The Gregory Peck of gorillas, if you will.” We will indeed, though the late Mr. Peck is sadly unavailable for comment.

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Shabani is an 18-year-old Western Lowland Gorilla who grew up in an Australian zoo; he has resided at the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya, Japan since 2007. Western Lowland Gorillas have a 30-40 year lifespan in the wild and up to 60 years in captivity. Shabani exhibits the shiny black coat and a “macho brooding expression”, the latter attribute likely being the basis of his, ahem, broad appeal.

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Once images of Shabani (especially those highlighting his deep, dark, sensitive eyes) taken by zoo visitors began appearing on the internet, they sparked a firestorm of viral appreciation. On Twitter, fans of the shy and sensitive primate have been shared thousands of times with comments such as “he’s too handsome!” being typical.