Pics show gorilla 'testing out' rugby skills at Paignton Zoo. Seen them yet?

New Delhi: Ahead of the Rugby World Cup, Pertinax, a western lowland gorilla, at Paignton Zoo in Devon, UK, was seen brushing up its rugby skills in his enclosure. Yes, you read that right!

Some pictures of the gorilla with the rugby ball have been shared by Paignton Zoo's official account on Twitter and it's a delightful sight. He's 37-years-old, just by the way. 

As per the zoo, the rugby balls were donated by Lovell Rugby, the world's largest online rugby store. They also added that Pertinax "showed some fine ball-carrying skills."

"Western lowland gorilla, Pertinax, has been testing out his rugby skills ahead of the Rugby WorldCup! The rugby balls are a great form of environmental enrichment, being novel items that provoke curiosity and stimulate play," read the caption of the tweet posted by the zoo.

Take a look at the pictures below:

Western lowland gorilla, Pertinax, has been testing out his rugby skills ahead of the #RugbyWorldCup! 
The rugby balls are a great form of environmental enrichment, being novel items that provoke curiosity and stimulate play. #RWC2019 https://t.co/BmsxPjk9Y6 pic.twitter.com/VurkjGCIzq — Paignton Zoo (@PaigntonZoo) September 16, 2019

"This is an excellent form of environmental enrichment - the balls are novel items and stimulate the gorillas to play. We smeared a little honey on the ball, too, as an incentive. It's great to have a locally-based company like Lovell help us out by donating balls," the Paignton Zoo quoted a senior keeper as saying.

They also informed that apart from the gorilla, a Bornean Orangutan and her 6-year-old daughter also played with a rugby ball.