Clint Stanaway reveals Melbourne icon’s disgraceful act when they met in encounter which didn’t go to plan

Clint Stanaway has detailed a shocking encounter he had with a Melbourne icon in an amusing exchange.

The Nova newsreader revealed on the Jase and Lauren Show on Wednesday that he had the chance to meet none other than Mzuri the gorilla.

Melbourne Zoo’s beloved silverback male gorilla was the first to be born in Australia, on June 3, 1984, and made headlines as the first gorilla ever to be born from artificial insemination.

After becoming an Aussie celebrity, Mzuri left Melbourne Zoo in 1993 to become the leader of the gorilla group at the renowned Jersey Zoo, founded by naturalist Gerald Durrell.

And Clint revealed that, while working as a UK news correspondent, he was given the chance to reunite with the Aussie ex-pat gorilla.

However, he revealed his meeting did not go according to plan, with the animal icon committing a disgusting act because he wasn’t impressed with Clint’s presence.

‘Now, Mzuri arrived here on our shores, and there was a great deal of excitement. In fact, Mzuri might have been born here. It was a real wild sort of time,’ he told Jason ‘Jase’ Hawkins and Lauren Phillips.

‘When I was in England as a correspondent, they sent me to do a reunion with Mzuri, and Mzuri didn’t like me being there and started throwing t**ds at me,’ Clint admitted. Clint (r) is pictured with Jason Hawkins (l) and Lauren Phillips (c)

‘When I was in England as a correspondent, they sent me to do a reunion with Mzuri, and Mzuri didn’t like me being there and started throwing t**ds at me.’

‘It threw its poopies at you?,’ a shocked Lauren asked.

‘It just loved it,’ Clint replied. ‘It was just pointing and throwing t**ds at me.’

‘Mizuri, mind your manners. Pesto wouldn’t do that,’ Lauren replied, referencing the now-viral Melbourne animal Pesto the Penguin – who is famous on social media for weighing a huge 23kg and has been visited by Katy Perry and Olivia Rodrigo.

After moving to a French zoo, Mzuri sadly died from cardiac arrest in 2017, just weeks shy of his 33rd birthday.

Elsewhere, Clint recently revealed another international incident in July as he detailed the time when he was almost arrested in Paris. 

Melbourne Zoo’s beloved silverback male gorilla was the first to be born in Australia, on 3 June, 1984 and made headlines as the first gorilla ever to be born from artificial insemination

Clint, who was in the French capital to present for Weekend Today at the 2024 Olympics, said he was stopped by police after accidentally stumbling on a brand new railway station that was scheduled to open a week later.

‘I had breached security inadvertently, (I was) out of bounds (and in) a no-go zone,’ he said.

The TV star said the unexpected incident with the local police quickly deflated when they realised he was from ‘out of town’.

‘It was a brand new station that that was meant to open next week in conjunction with the Olympics and the opening ceremony,’ he said, adding: ‘[The police] were not happy.’