This chill gorilla loves baby animal videos like the rest of us
When the news cycle stresses you out, there's perhaps no better escape than glimpsing upon an adorable animal friend.
Take, for instance, this gorilla at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky.
He's serene, calm, and content. He looks like a great listener. And he, like us, really enjoys watching videos of baby animals.
Lindsey Costello visited the zoo's gorilla enclosure on June 30. She sat side-by-side with the great ape and held her smartphone up to the glass while playing videos of baby gorillas. (She gave permission to share her Instagram post via Storyful.)
A spokeswoman for the Louisville Zoo confirmed the gorilla in Costello's photo was Jelani.
The 20-year-old silverback became internet famous in September 2015 after a clip of him watching YouTube videos of gorillas (meta!) went viral on YouTube. That video has since racked up more than 14 million views.
Jenali "is a laid-back individual and likes to look at cellphone photos and videos," according to the zoo. When he's not staring at screens, he's probably chilling with Bengati, one of three other silverbacks in Louisville.
In the wild, however, silverbacks and other types of gorillas have a much less relaxed life. Western gorillas like Jelani, as well as Eastern gorilla species, are all endangered due to illegal hunting and habitat destruction.
Err, sorry, back to your happy place now.
Topics Animals Instagram Viral Videos
Maria Gallucci was a Science Reporter at Mashable. She was previously the energy and environment reporter at International Business Times; features editor of Makeshift magazine; clean economy reporter for InsideClimate News; and a correspondent in Mexico City until 2011. Maria holds degrees in journalism and Spanish from Ohio University's Honors Tutorial College.
