The cobblestoned streets of Covent Garden are always busy with talented street performers and artists who add to the lively atmosphere. 
On this occasion however, we were there to spot something else entirely- the colourful lifesize gorilla sculptures of the Tusk gorilla trail. Tusk Trust is a British non-profit organization with the goal of promoting wildlife conservation in Africa and they have now teamed up with amazing artists to put gorillas in the limelight. The primates face significant threats and need our support. 
Is was therefore a great pleasure to go on a search for the stunning artworks of these fascinating animals. 

We started our journey at Shaftesbury theatre with help of an illustrated gorilla map which is available for download on the Tusk website. We have to admit that we sometimes struggled to find the sculptures as the beautifully designed map is not 100% accurate and our early start meant that a couple of gorillas were still locked up behind closed doors and gates. All the other ones are in public places and easier to spot. 
It is definately worth looking for each single one of them. Not only are all of the sculptures designed by different artists in different styles, they all have their own personalities and stories to tell. 
We can only recommend to get out there and have your own gorilla sculpture hunt. The artworks will be on display until 14th October 2023.
We ended our walk with a delicious coffee and freshly baked pistachio and raspberry croissants at Chestnut Bakery which is tugged away in a quiet corner of covent garden. 

Here are some of the colourful apes.