Thaindian News

By Madhuri Dey
Kent, Jan 27, (THAINDIAN NEWS) There is one gorilla determined to establish his kinship with humans all the more. Ambam, a resident of the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent, chooses to stand out in the crowd; instead of walking on all fours like his fellow apes, he strides about on his two hind legs, an oddly human gesture that sets him quite apart from others of the species. Needless to say, this peculiar trait has turned him into quite a celebrity in the zoo, with visitor coming in from far and wide to gape and marvel at the wonder. He is also a big-time celebrity in the internet, where video clips of him strolling about on two legs have achieved viral status.

The zookeepers say that it is not very unusual for gorillas to walk on two legs instead of on all fours; all gorillas can do that more or less, but in none is the ability so pronounced as in Ambam, who can walk long distances, and at seemingly unnatural ease. In fact, this seems to be a particular quirk in the 21-year-old’s genes. The gorilla keeper of the zoo, Phil Ridges, says that before Ambam, his father had also displayed the uncanny knack to walk about on two legs for quite a long distance, but he needed the stimulation of food; he would do this if his hands were engaged in carrying food.

Ambam’s full sister Tamba as well as a half sister also can walk like him, but he is by far the most skilled. Zookeepers suggest that he has possibly acquired the skill in order to peer over the wall so that he can get a better view of food when he is fed.