TOKYO (Web Desk) – A gorilla who grew up in an Australian zoo has become a heartthrob among women in Japan.
Shabani the 18-year-old gorilla, who now lives in Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya, has attracted a large following of admirers who visit him because he is so ‘handsome’.
The western lowland gorilla was raised at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo but moved to Japan in 2007, reported Mail Online.
Zoo officials said there had been a notable increase in young female visitors thanks to Shabani.
Shabani’s rise to fame has been fuelled largely by Twitter, where fans post pictures of him claiming he is ‘too handsome’.
His adoring Twitter following often refers to him as an ‘ikemen’, which means a ‘good-looking man’.
Pictures of the gorilla posted online capture him in moments where he appears to be flexing his muscles, taring broodingly into the distance or playing with the younger gorillas.
Taronga Zoo senior zookeeper Allan Schmidt said he was not surprised by Shabani’s popularity “The Japanese love their fads.” He said “I would say most people would consider him fairly dashing.”
Schmidt said Shabani is used to the limelight. After moving to Nagoya, he was pictured in 2007 walking along a tightrope in the zoo enclosure, which went viral on Twitter.
