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Covent Garden: Colourful gorilla sculptures come to central London

PA Media Tusk ambassador and Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood unveiling his own statuePA Media
Tusk ambassador and Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood unveiled his own statue on Thursday

A trail of gorilla statues has been installed in part of central London in a free public art display.

The 15 sculptures were unveiled earlier around Covent Garden by the African conservation charity Tusk.

It follows the charity's lion and rhino art trails in recent years, highlighting the threats faced by endangered species.

Among the sculptures' designers are comedian John Cleese and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.

Wood, who is also an ambassador for Tusk said making his artwork was "fun".

Thinkstock StatuesThinkstock
The statues will be sold at auction in the autumn, after the display ends, to raise money for Tusk's conservation work

"And I love the animal itself," he said. "The gorilla is as very near the human species as you can get, I think it's 98%, and it's a shame if they're going to be endangered."

The artist Chila Burman and photographer Rankin also created gorilla sculptures for the exhibition, which aims to raise awareness of Tusk's work in Africa.

Paul Glover The art displayPaul Glover
James Manning The displayJames Manning
Fifteen colourful statues will stand around Covent garden until October, to highlight the threat the animals face

The charity says the population of African gorillas is "critically endangered" and hopes the sculptures will highlight their "beauty".

The display's creative director Chris Westbrook said: "Harnessing the emotional and communicative power of art is the perfect vehicle to raise awareness and create positive change across the widest of audiences."

PA Media The displayPA Media
The charity Tusk says it hopes to highlight the "beauty" of gorillas in the display

The installation will encourage visitors to follow the gorilla trail via an easy-to-use map, with organisers hoping families will enjoy it throughout the summer holiday.

When the trail ends in October, the statues will be auctioned off to raise funds to support Tusk's conservation work.

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