Orphaned gorillas pose for casual selfie with park rangers in DR Congo

Orphaned gorillas pose for casual selfie with park rangers in DR Congo
Copyright Ranger Mathieu Shamavu/Virunga National Park
Copyright Ranger Mathieu Shamavu/Virunga National Park
By Emma BeswickThe Cube Team
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Two gorillas have posed for a relaxed selfie with rangers at Virunga National Park in DR Congo.

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Two gorillas have posed for a relaxed selfie with rangers at Virunga National Park in DR Congo.

The pair of orphaned females, named Ndakazi and Ndeze, struck human-like poses alongside two caretakers, Mathieu and Patrick, at the park's Senkwekwe centre.

The primates are standing on their hind legs, which is "no surprise" the park wrote on Instagram, "most primates are comfortable walking upright (bipedalism) for short bursts of time."

"Those gorilla gals are always acting cheeky so this was the perfect shot of their true personalities!" it added.

You might have recently seen caretakers Mathieu and Patrick’s amazing selfie with female orphaned gorillas Ndakazi and...

Publiée par Virunga National Park sur Lundi 22 avril 2019

The gorillas have lived in an enclosed sanctuary for orphans since they were infants.

"The caretakers at Senkwekwe take great care to not put the health of the gorillas in danger," the park wrote.

"These are exceptional circumstances in which the photo was taken. It is never permitted to approach a gorilla in the wild."

Park ranger Mathieu Shamavu, who took the impressive selfie, posted it on his Facebook page on Saturday.

The park then posted on Instagram saying it had "received dozens of messages about the photo" and confirmed, "YES, it’s real!"

Users commented on Shamavu's photo calling it "fantastic" and "awesome", while others thanked him for the work he did taking care of the animals.

The Virunga National Park works to [fight threats](<iframe src=) to the country's ecosystem and the decline of biodiversity. On this year's Earth Day, it's aim is to raise funds to protect the wildlife in the park.

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