A pair of “cheeky” gorillas in a national park at the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been photographed posing for a selfie with park rangers who helped to rescue them as babies.

The selfie, which has gone viral on social media, shows female gorillas Ndakazi and Ndeze standing upright casually.

One is seen posing with her side profile, while the other leans slightly forward from behind a ranger, seemingly to try get into the frame.

“Those gorilla gals are always acting cheeky so this was the perfect shot of their true personalities!” said Virunga National Park in a post on Instagram on Monday (Apr 22).

The park said it was not surprising to see the animals on their two feet as most primates are comfortable walking upright for short bursts of time.

Read more at channelnewsasia.com

You might have recently seen caretakers Mathieu and Patrick’s amazing selfie with female orphaned gorillas Ndakazi and Ndeze inside the Senkwekwe center at Virunga National Park. We’ve received dozens of messages about the photo. YES, it’s real! Those gorilla gals are always acting cheeky so this was the perfect shot of their true personalities! Also, it’s no surprise to see these girls on their two feet either—most primates are comfortable walking upright (bipedalism) for short bursts of time. Guys, if you shared our gorilla selfie post, please share our Earth Day posts as well! Conserving Virunga’s amazing wildlife is a constant challenge for the Park and our work wouldn’t be possible without your support. Matching funds have been pledged on every donation to the Park today, up to a total of $25,000—giving us the opportunity to raise $50,000 for Virunga! Visit virunga.org/donate or click the link in our bio to get involved and keep sharing our posts! Thank you! *We want to emphasize that these gorillas are in an enclosed sanctuary for orphans to which they have lived since infancy. The caretakers at Senkwekwe take great care to not put the health of the gorillas in danger. These are exceptional circumstances in which the photo was taken. It is never permitted to approach a gorilla in the wild. #gorillaselfie #gorilla #mountaingorilla #mountaingorillaselfie #selfie #earthday #earthday2019 #virunga #virunganationalpark #congo #drcongo #rdc #drc #protecttheplanet #happyearthday #wildlife #wildlifeconservation #conservation #natureconservation

Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη Virunga National Park (@virunganationalpark) στις 22 Απρ, 2019 στις 4:03 πμ PDT