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'Another day in the office': Gorillas pose for ranger's selfie
By growing up with the rangers in Senkwekwe Sanctuary in Virunga, the gorillas now seem to perceive them as their new parents and try to imitate human behavior and postures, such as by standing upright on two legs.
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A team of 600 rangers takes care of the endangered animals as the region is not only impacted by war, but also attracts poachers. (www.instagram.com/virunganationalpark//File)
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picture of two mountain gorillas posing with an anti-poaching unit ranger has gone viral. Carer Mathieu Shamavu posted it on Facebook with the caption: “Another day in the office."
A post shared by Virunga National Park (@virunganationalpark) on
The gorillas are living in an orphanage in Virunga National Park, DR Congo. Rangers rescued them as babies of two and four months when their mothers were killed in July 2007.
By growing up with the rangers in Senkwekwe Sanctuary in Virunga, the animals now seem to perceive them as their new parents and try to imitate human behavior and postures, such as by standing upright on two legs.
Read also: Indonesia's selfie-snapping monkey named 'Person of the Year'
“I was very surprised to see it,” said Innocent Mburanumwe, deputy director of Virunga in an interview with BBC News. "So it´s very funny. It´s very curious to see how a gorilla can imitate a human and stand up."
Yvonne Ndege, a former BBC journalist now working for the United Nations in Kenya, commented on the extraordinary photograph by saying, “Selfie of the year no question!”
A team of 600 rangers takes care of the endangered animals as the region is not only impacted by war, but also attracts poachers. Shamavu and his colleagues´ job is dangerous, since more than 130 park rangers have been killed in Virunga since 1996. Five of them died last year during an ambush by rebels. (sop/kes)
