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HE MIGHT LOOK like an ordinary gorilla, but Shabani is… handsome.
The 18-year-old silverback weighs around 180 kilograms (400 pounds), and has become the star attraction at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya.
“He often rests his chin on his hands and looks intently at you,” zoo spokesman Takayuki Ishikawa told AFP.
He is more buff than most gorillas and he’s at his peak physically. We’ve seen a rise in the number of female visitors — women say he’s very good-looking.
He has been at the zoo since 2007, but became the campaign model for the zoo’s spring festival earlier this year.
“He’s a father and he always protects and looks over his children,” Ishikawa told AFP. “Zoo-goers think his kindness is attractive too.”
Women have described him as “ikemen” (or a ‘hunk’) online, and Japanese broadcasters have picked up on his social media fame.
A look at the hashtag #シャバーニ throws up thousands upon thousands of tweets about him.
His popularity has also led to the inevitable parody tweets…
- With additional reporting from AFP
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