Don't anthropomorphize the animals, they hate that!

May 13, 2024 7:40 AM

I'm not quite sure what there is to say about Silverback is very happy to make up with his son.｜Shabani Group [11m25s] other than there's a lot of behavior on display here that feels relatable, and also some that is really alien. I don't know how much others might engage with this, but I found it interesting enough to share.
posted by hippybear (7 comments total)

Shabani group videos are usually interesting! Apparently they have a lot of fans in Japan, who like to film them, so interesting clips turn up on my Youtube dash all the time.
posted by tavella at 7:49 AM on May 13

The bit at 8:05 where Shabani is giving Kiyomasa little sideways glances to see if he is forgiven is so very human, though.
posted by tavella at 8:00 AM on May 13

I need more Silverback videos in my life.

I know some IG Silverbacks by name, Shabani (and fam) being one of them. And then there's Zola, the infamous "I'm-a-Maniac" slash "dancing passionately in the rain" gorilla, and his brothers. Zola also does some sick chest beats with super foot stomps – so crisp, so beastly, so proud.

There's this other gorilla who does some skillful warmups mimicking the trainer/ zookeeper, and man I need to see more of that handsome beast.

I just want the algorhythms to deeply understand that they need to feed me gorilla videos all day everyday.
posted by room9 at 11:19 AM on May 13 [1 favorite]

Michael Crichton has a bit in one of his early non-fiction books (before he totally lost his marbles) where he recounts a conversation he had with a simian researcher. IIRC she had once been a gorilla researcher, but she got bored and moved on to chimps. He asked her how she'd ever gotten bored with gorillas and she said something like, "Gorillas are men. Chimps are something else. But gorillas are men."

I don't agree that gorillas are just big hairy human beings, they're stranger than that, but there is something in their eyes that is so eerily familiar. Gorillas think.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 4:06 PM on May 13

they're stranger than that

Their feet have thumbs. From that fact alone, that are entirely alien to us.
posted by hippybear at 4:14 PM on May 13

So sad to see beautiful, intelligent animals imprisoned like this. They look bored out of their minds and who wouldn't be in that enclosure? Then to see people gawking at them. It breaks my heart.
posted by mygraycatbongo at 7:09 AM on May 14 [1 favorite]

If it's any consolation, gorillas in the wild spend a lot of time just kind of lolling around doing nothing much, too. Digesting all that green fiber takes most of their energy. XD
posted by Scattercat at 5:03 PM on May 16