Some photogenic gorillas seemed more than ready to show off their good sides as they posed for amazing selfies with anti-poaching rangers.
I know humans and monkeys are very closely related, but some of the poses these gorillas are pulling are uncanny. It’s all too easy to imagine them as part of a girly group shot on Insta.
The hilarious snaps were taken at the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and shared on the Facebook page for The Elite AntiPoaching Units And Combat Trackers.
According to their website, Virunga is Africa’s oldest national park. It is an UNESCO World Heritage site, home to exceptional wildlife, including the last of the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas.
The park is protected by a team of over 600 rangers; some of who seem to have formed a tight bond with the park’s gorillas.
Take a look at this excellent scene, for example:
The two gorillas, Ndakasi and Matabishi, seem very chilled about having their photo taken – even the one at the front, who admittedly wasn’t caught at the most flattering angle.
The one at the back looked more prepared, though. It was obviously happy to stick around for the ‘family portrait’, and it really nailed that angle.
Given the abundance of gorilla pictures posted on Virunga’s Facebook page, it’s clear the animals are used to having their photos taken.
But one particular gorilla looked like it’d reached the end the its tether when it came time to pose for a photo, resulting in this masterpiece:
Is it just me, or does that gorilla perfectly resemble a grumpy dad, standing around with his hands in his pockets while his son snaps a selfie and his daughter pops her head in, unable to resist the photo-op?
I know you can see it too.
That particular photo was shared over 9,000 times on Facebook, and even made its way to a Reddit thread. People just love to see animals acting like humans.
The photo was captioned:
Another day at the office…
It must be amazing to spend every day surrounded by such amazing creatures!
Many Facebook users praised the rangers for their hard work, with one writing:
Simply stunning photo. Thank you for sharing & proving we can all live peacefully together.
While another commented:
Love this! They know you are protectors. Thank you for your work.
It’s brilliant to see the rangers and gorillas hanging out so naturally together – all animals should be treated with the same kind of respect.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.