A wildlife photographer managed to capture the exact moment a massive silverback gorilla was about to punch him, and somehow walked away with one of the wildest photographs of his career. 😭🦍 The incredible encounter happened in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and made international headlines in February 2015. French photographer Christophe Courteau was photographing a family of mountain gorillas when a powerful silverback named Akarevuro suddenly charged toward him. Courteau was kneeling with his camera when the roughly 250 kg (550 lb) gorilla rushed straight at him. With almost no time to react, he managed to capture one final photograph showing the animal approaching with its fist clenched. Seconds later, the gorilla struck him and sent him tumbling into the surrounding vegetation. Courteau later described the impact as feeling like being hit by a train. Remarkably, he escaped without serious injuries, suffering only a small scar on his forehead. Even more surprisingly, the gorilla apparently wasn’t interested in attacking him specifically. According to Courteau, Akarevuro continued past him to chase away another male that had approached females in his group. The photograph became famous for showing just how powerful and intimidating a silverback gorilla can look from only a few feet away. Be honest, if you saw a 550-pound gorilla charging toward you, would you keep taking pictures or drop everything and run? 😭🦍 #Gorillas #WildlifePhotography #AnimalEncounters #Rwanda #Wildlife
- Posted
- 27 Oct 2026
- Their usual
- 102K views
- Found
- 1d ago
