Bristol has been invaded by gorillas. All around the city, there are primates – lurking, guarding buildings, looking across the river, acting as bridge sentries. You name it, they've got it covered. They're chunky, powerful and pretty tall.
Perhaps I should point out at this point, if you hadn't already guessed, that these gorillas are statues. Decorated in a variety of colours and gaudy designs, the West Country gorillas – no relation to Liverpool's lambananas – are here to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Bristol zoo.
But, suddenly, after seeing Project NIm – the film about a misguided 1970s experiment to find out whether chimps could learn language and communicate with human beings (conclusion: yes, they can sign language; no, they can't say a lot more than 'I want berries', 'I want to drink', 'I want to play') – their presence here has taken on a slightly more ominous hue. I'd better not watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes then…
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