Congolese ranger’s selfie goes viral with anti-poachers

A Congolese park ranger has gone viral for a Facebook post in which two gorillas appear to pose for a selfie with him.

Ranger Mathieu Shamavu captioned the picture, posted Thursday to the Elite AntiPoaching Units And Combat Trackers Facebook page, “ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE.” The photo was taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park, one of the oldest protected areas in Africa.

{mosads}More than 600 rangers are responsible for protecting the UNESCO World Heritage site, which contains one third of the remaining population of critically endangered mountain gorillas, according to the park’s website. The park’s gorilla population comprises eight families and four solitary male gorillas which are habituated, or comfortable with the presence of humans, according to Virunga.

“There is a bond that ties us together, a relationship that is very, very close between the guardians and gorillas,” Andre Bauma, manager of the Senkwekwe Center, the park’s gorilla facility, says on the park’s website.

The post has been shared by more than 19,000 people so far.