Gorilla Flips Off Visitors At Bristol Zoo

Do you ever just wish you could tell someone who's staring in your direction to piss off?

Maybe just flip them a little finger so they get the message and turn their heads away with embarrassment?

Well, that's exactly what this cheeky gorilla at Bristol Zoo in Clifton did when Ben Collins, 33, and his partner Danielle Kirk, also 33, decided to pay the zoo a visit.

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The couple, along with a crowd of other zoo visitors, sat around to watch the formidable creatures eat their lunch, when one ape decided to treat the crowd to a rather obscene hand gesture - much to the amusement of the shocked crowd.

Ben, from Leeds, who was on holiday in Bristol, said: "The gorillas were quite amusing. They have obviously got used to mimicking the people who come to watch them at food time.

"And some them seem to have picked up on some bad habits like in the photos.

"He just came out and started holding his middle finger up towards the crowds."

Well, isn't that bloody charming!

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Of course, the cheeky gorilla meant no harm and the flipping finger gesture was all in good spirits.

Ben continued: "The whole time he looked like he had this cheeky smirk on his face.

"Everyone who saw him was laughing and he carried on doing it for quite a while. I think he realised he was getting a good reaction. It was so funny."

The hilarious shots were captured by Ben's Fuji X100 camera as the sassy gorilla continued to impress the crowds with its profane gestures.

"It's an odd thing to see a human trait in a gorilla. It's definitely not something I have ever seen before," Ben said.

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"I think the gorillas were the animals we spent the most time with during our visit, they're so interesting.

"Their facial expressions are incredible and their faces are so human-like.

"They were really great to watch. But they were watching us just as much as were watching them."

Bristol Zoo Gardens is home to seven western lowland gorillas. There is a 32-stone silverback called Jock, as well as Kera, Kukena, Romina and Touni, to name a few.

In February 2016, Kera gave birth to baby Afia after an emergency C-section, and a year later, in April 2017, Touni girth birth to little Ayana.

Topics: Gorilla, Bristol

Megan Walsh

Megan is a freelance journalist and sub-editor with a BAHons degree in Journalism and Communications. Since graduating from London Metropolitan University, she has worked as a sub-editor and writer for Candis Magazine and later contributed to publications such as The Skinny, Creative Tourist and Huffington Post, among others.