Internet Culture

People love this gorilla that walks like a human

Although gorillas occasionally walk on two legs, this one seems to make a habit of it.

Photo of David Britton

David Britton

Louis, the bipedal gorilla

Meet Louis, the gorilla that prefers to walk like a human.

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https://www.facebook.com/philadelphiazoo/videos/10155414572887934/

“Although gorillas occasionally walk on two legs (bipedal), it is less common,” the Philadelphia Zoo said in a post on Facebook “Not for Louis though – he can often be seen walking bipedally when his hands are full of snacks or when the ground is muddy (so he doesn’t get his hands dirty)!”

The zoo first posted the video about two weeks ago, but it really took off yesterday when CBS News reposted it to Twitter.

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Everyone seemed to agree that it looked like Louis had some very important business to attend to.

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https://twitter.com/thatswordwang/status/975769982264102912

https://twitter.com/unwelcomewords_/status/975611280450113536

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Some people seemed to identify with his walk.

https://twitter.com/mstrdrmz/status/975761667194802176

walk like a gorilla
Cheryl Ferry/Facebook

While others were just scared that this was the beginning of the end.

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https://twitter.com/The_Biomage/status/975769682417537024

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https://twitter.com/JeremySimser/status/975502888741949440

And one woman just wished Louis would give some hygiene lessons to her kid.

In Body Image
Kate Stickel/Facebook

Gorillas share DNA with humans, so maybe it’s not too surprising that Louis, who grew up in captivity, has started imitating the humans he sees every day. One woman even reported seeing him act like he was on the phone while walking on two legs.

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Gorilla on phone
Kate Stickel/Facebook

Maybe the zookeepers should give him a smartphone just to see what happens. If he starts tweeting, then we’ll know we’re in trouble.

 
The Daily Dot