The 'handsome gorilla' driving Japanese girls mad: Australian-raised ape finds fame as women flock to the zoo to see him because he is 'so good-looking'

Shabani the gorilla lives in Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya, Japan
He has attracted a large following of admirers who visit him because he is so 'handsome' and 'good-looking'
The gorilla was raised at Sydney's Taronga Zoo but moved to Japan in 2007

The giant silverback with rippling muscles has caused a stir at a Japanese zoo. (AFP/Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens)

A giant gorilla with brooding good looks and rippling muscles is causing a stir at a Japanese zoo, with women flocking to check out the hunky pin-up.

Shabani, an 18-year-old silverback who tips the scales at around 180 kilograms (400 pounds), has become the star attraction at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya, striking smouldering poses the movie model in "Zoolander" would be proud of.

"He often rests his chin on his hands and looks intently at you," zoo spokesman Takayuki Ishikawa told AFP on Friday.

"He is more buff than most gorillas and he's at his peak physically. We've seen a rise in the number of female visitors -- women say he's very good-looking."

Shabani, 18, has got Japanese women flocking the zoo to check him out. (AFP/Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens)

His adoring Twitter following often refers to him as an 'ikemen', which means a 'good-looking man'.

Taronga Zoo senior zookeeper Allan Schmidt said Shabani was moved to Australia from The Netherlands as a two-month-old in December 1996 with his family.

When asked if he was surprised by Shabani's popularity he said: 'No because the Japanese are crazy... The Japanese love their fads.'

He added: 'I would say most people would consider him fairly dashing.'