“Handsome” Gorilla Draws Throngs of Female Fans in Japan

An 18-year old gorilla named Shabani has been dubbed “handsome” by female human admirers in Japan.

The good-looking 180-pound primate resides at the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya, where he has lived since 2007. Lines now often extend to more than 100 people who wait to catch a glimpse of the hunky ape.

Several photos of the gorilla have been making their rounds on social media, many of which seem to feature the gorilla posed in a variety of expressions.

Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me #Shabani #gorilla pic.twitter.com/MlgkcDQM3L

— Missy F (@Missyf786) June 26, 2015

Despite his new-found adoration, Shabani already has two gorilla wives, Ai and Nene, as well as two children, Kiyomasi and Annie.

A zoo spokesperson told CNN that the gorilla, “…seems to have noticed his new popularity, but he’s kept it very cool.” He also told the BBC that Shabani 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.”

“It’s a perfect example of the Internet society… we were very surprised by the phenomenon,” the spokesman added.

Although zoogoers are impressed by Shabani’s intent stares in which he seems to be posing for the camera, the zoo official speculated that it may be something else.

“But he’s the head of a group of five gorillas so it’s likely he’s just watching out for them and keeping an eye on you.”