Beware of King Kong sightings!A hyper-realistic “King Kong” at Taipei Zoo breaks through a wall, looking just like a real gorilla.

▲Taipei Zoo unveils hyper-realistic 3D gorilla murals, with a baby gorilla breaking through the wall and snatching a visitor’s hat. (Photo/Taipei Zoo)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

How did a “King Kong” appear? Some visitors walking through the African animal area at Taipei Zoo were startled by a “wall-breaking” gorilla right in front of them—but it turned out to be one of four 3D gorilla mural artworks designed by the zoo. Due to their striking three-dimensionality, many visitors rushed to take photos with them, making it look as if they were standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a real gorilla.

▲The 3D gorillas even share pineapples with visitors. (Photo/Taipei Zoo)

The zoo explained that these four gorilla murals are displayed in the African animal area, each specially designed to depict playful scenes: a gorilla cheekily taking a visitor’s hat, sharing a pineapple, eavesdropping on humans, and even a cute baby gorilla giving you a flower. Currently, there are indeed two male western lowland gorillas in the African animal area: 28-year-old “Baobao” and 48-year-old “Heipi.” Visitors can enjoy both the real gorillas and their artistic counterparts.

Since male gorillas are more territorial, the zoo has specially allocated a large space to avoid any “territorial disputes,” giving each gorilla its own area. The zoo noted that while gorillas often give off an impression of being huge and fierce—with their chest-beating displays that can be intimidating—in reality, they are gentle by nature and only use chest-beating to ward off threats when feeling endangered. Western lowland gorillas are currently classified as a first-class endangered species, making them incredibly precious and rare.

▲Hyper-realistic 3D gorilla murals. (Photo/Taipei Zoo)