Do you remember the pride of Lions that popped up in central London in 2021? Or perhaps you’ll recall when a crash of rhinos lined the streets for a little while.
This year, the animals are coming two by two again (with one on their lonesome) as a band of 15 gorillas have dropped down in Covent Garden this July.
From today (July 14), Londoners can go ape at the prospect of changing into the city centre to stand among the gorillas that are temporarily opting for a concrete jungle as opposed to their usual rainforest stomping ground. The sculptures are now dotted around Covent Garden, and visitors are invited to follow the Gorilla ‘Trail’ and spot them all.
The free gorilla trail
Covent Garden has teamed up with African wildlife conservation charity Tusk to bring the band of gorillas to the capital.
Artists and collaborators, from the likes of Ronnie Wood to John Cleese to Chila Burman, are involved in the project, and visitors will be able to follow the trail of Gorillas to learn more about Tusk via scannable QR codes.
This trail aims to highlight the beauty of the gorilla species while educating people further about their endangerment and what is being done to help their survival. Visitors will also be able to donate to Tusk via the codes shown on the artwork.
Once the immersive trail comes to a close, the gorilla artworks will go on auction, meaning a lucky few will be able to pick up a colourful new ornament while giving to Tusk, where all the sales proceeds go towards.
The 2021 Lion trail raised £1.1 million for Tusk, and it’s hoped that the gorillas can create a similar kind of uproar and spirit of giving.
Charlie Mayhew MBE, Chief Executive, Tusk commented:
“Gorillas share 98.3% of their DNA with humans. They are our closest cousins after chimpanzees and bonobos. Yet humankind continues to poach them, degrade their habitat and contribute to the rapid warming of the planet we share.
“We know art can be a vehicle for change and we’re proud to be working in partnership with some incredible artists and Shaftesbury Capital to present a trail in Covent Garden that should inspire and encourage people to act to protect not just gorillas but the natural world at large.”
Read more about Tusk here. A map of the trail, and more information, can be found here.