These creatures are both magnificent and scary as heck! The size of them even when you are safely behind bars or glass is still intimidating. But I can’t help but feel a bit sad that their world is now confined to whatever amount of area they are allotted by a zoo. The zoo takes magnificent care of them and all that but I do feel a bit strange when I can look into the eyes of an animal and almost “feel” what it may be feeling. Such is the case with this image.
Even though it was shot through bars I was fortunate to capture his eyes. Eyes that for all the world look like he is thinking something. Maybe something along the lines of “I’m am so going to mess with those funny creatures.” A couple of chimps did scare some humans very much by slapping at their glass enclosures. I’ve seen every Planet of the Apes movie so I’m leery 😉
Images by T.Dashfield Photography 
Rottweiler genes hiding under this big guys fur. 😉 I would knot go in there!
Good pic! Take care now, Keith
I imagine him to speak like Ape in the old George of the Jungle cartoons 🙂 Thank you and take care as well.
We lived in the Atlanta area years ago, and my little girls and I were fascinated by the Atlanta Zoo’s great apes exhibit. So sad, so human, so massive, so funny, so scary. So many adjectives!
Oh those eyes! You sure captured his personality.
And I am sure he has quite the personality too. Really makes me think about the movie.
Great shot of the expression on his (?) face.
Yep, this is a silver back male. Who seemed to be plotting something or maybe that is just my imagination.
His eyes are amazing. And he does look like he’s plotting something. I’ve also seen every Planet of the Ape movie and I would not turn my back on this fellow. Love the coloring in this photo.
Thanks. They are truly magnificent creatures.
How sad that we humans have created a situation in which magnificent individuals such as this must live in captivity.
I’m sure that someone has written a science fiction story about an advanced hominid race keeping the last specimens of Homo sapiens in a zoo . . .
Powerful photo, by the way.
Thanks. What an interesting plot for a movie 😉 I hope there is still a large enough contingency of them in their natural habitat.
Great capture, Teri. Like you, I find gorilla enclosures a tad disturbing and hate that this seems to be where they will all end up.
Thanks, John. Well if you follow many movies, we may muck things up so that they get the upper hand. I really hope it doesn’t get that bad for both species.
Somehow, seeing just one eye seems more interesting.
Thank you. I like how his profile shows his, I guess, ear orifice as well.
Great shot Teri! It is sad though that so many critters have lost their range of territories. But at least some areas of this world are being preserved.
I wonder if there is such a thing as an ideal zoo for these wonderful animals? It shouldn’t have to be a case of in a zoo or extinct.