Selfie featuring pair of posing gorillas goes viral

A pair of gorillas at a national park in Congo were more than ready to strike a pose for a selfie.

On April 18, a Facebook post from the page The Elite AntiPoaching Units and Combat Trackers shared an image  taken at Virunga National Park in Congo.

"ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE," the post reads, with the selfie of a caretaker at the park as two gorillas stand upright and appear to be posing with him in the background. Since then, it has been shared on Facebook more than 21,000 times.

On Monday, Virunga National Park shared the photo and confirmed that, yes, it's definitely real.

The female gorillas, named Ndakazi and Ndeze, have lived in an enclosed sanctuary for orphans since they were infants, said the park.

"Those gorilla gals are always acting cheeky so this was the perfect shot of their true personalities!" said the park.

Innocent Mburanumwe, a deputy director at the park, told BBC the gorillas' mothers were killed in 2007. 

Gorillas typically move using their arms to "knuckle-walk" as if they're walking on all fours, but the Virunga National Park said it's common for gorillas to walk with just their legs.

"It’s no surprise to see these girls on their two feet either," said the park. "Most primates are comfortable walking upright (bipedalism) for short bursts of time."

The park is using the newfound viral fame from the image to encourage people to donate to help fund its services.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23