A dancing gorilla at the Dallas Zoo has become an Internet sensation when video of his latest routine recently went viral.
Zola, a 14-year-old Western lowland gorilla who also gained notoriety during his time at the Calgary Zoo, is seen enjoying time in a kiddie pool, spinning and splashing – and dancing as if no one is watching.
The video spurred Bob Haugh to add the Flashdance soundtrack to Zola’s antics.
The pool time is an “enrichment session,” the zoo says, and offers a chance to help “enhance the environment and lives of animals, like Zola, by providing them with mental and physical stimulation to increase natural behaviors," NPR reported.
“This is Zola 100 percent,” Ashely Orr, the primate supervisor who recorded the hilarious video, told ABC News. “He is probably one of the goofiest and fun-loving gorillas in our troop at the Dallas Zoo.”
“We knew Zola had a knack for dancing, but had no idea he’d show off his moves that day,” Orr said. “We were cleaning the building and heard the splashing, so we ran over to see him in all his excitement. It’s always rewarding to see our animals really enjoy the enrichment items we put out for them to explore.”