Shabani (gorilla)

Shabani (Japanese: シャバーニ) is a male Western Lowland gorilla born at the Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands, and raised in Australia, who currently resides at the Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya, Japan.[1] He gained publicity in 2007 at Higashiyama Zoo when he was 10 years old by tightrope walking.[2]

He later gained added fame in 2015 due to being considered handsome and sexy and photogenic[3] and metrosexual.[4] This led to coverage in news[5][6][7][8] and his being featured on the season 2 premiere of the TV series Not Safe with Nikki Glaser.

His residence caused a notable increase in younger female attendance at his zoo.[9][10] There is a DVD film dedicated to him[11] and he became the mascot for a candy line.[12]

He was also used in a worker recruitment campaign by the city of Nagoya in January 2016.[13][14]

References

  1. "Good-looking gorilla has crowds going gaga at Higashiyama Zoo". The Japan Times. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  2. "Philippine Daily Inquirer – Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  3. "Japanese women are going bananas after this ridiculously handsome gorilla". 29 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. "Shabani: The making of a metrosexual gorilla". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  5. ""Women flock Japan zoo to see 'hunky' gorilla"". New Straits Times. 26 June 2015. Archived from the original on 3 September 2015.
  6. "Shabani the gorilla is so handsome women visit the zoo just for him". Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  7. "This Is Apparently the World's Most Handsome Gorilla (and Women Are Flocking to the Zoo to See Him)". Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  8. "Women In Japan Are Freaking Out Over This 'Sexy' Gorilla Named Shabani". Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  9. "中日新聞 CHUNICHI Webのトップページに戻る". Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  10. "Zoo reports increase in visitors as Japan's women fall for this "handsome" gorilla【Photos】". RocketNews24. June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  11. "Japan's phenomenally handsome gorilla getting nationwide DVD release". 23 November 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  12. "Shabani the gorilla is so handsome he'll be appearing on sweets in Japan this Valentine's Day". 18 January 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  13. Hongo, Jun; Inada, Miho (23 February 2016). "To Recruit Human Workers, City in Japan Tries Gorilla Marketing". Retrieved 9 June 2016 via Wall Street Journal.
  14. "Nagoya taps zoo gorilla Shabani's star power for city recruitment video". The Japan Times. January 12, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
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