The multi-coloured troop, which were placed around the Island in a public art trail in July, are to be auctioned to raise money for a new home for Durrell’s gorilla family, with bids starting at £5,000.
The Grand Gorilla Auction is due to take place at The Royal Yacht on 6 November.
Before the sale, Islanders can see the sculptures in an exhibition at Jersey Zoo as part of the ‘Goodbye Gorilla’ celebration, which is being held from 1 to 4 November.
Overall, the trail of 40 gorillas, which were on display from 27 July to 14 October, attracted 6,572 app users who made a total of 223,589 unlocks, according to a Durrell spokeswoman. The Go Wild Gorillas community project celebrated Durrell’s 60th anniversary.
The most visited gorilla was Jungle Banana Split, which was located at Charing Cross and was designed by artist Francesca Monticelli, a final year
BA fine art student.
However, the gorilla which received the most votes from Islanders was Zeus, which was located at St Catherine’s Breakwater and was designed by Caroline Parrott.
Alexandra Shears, head of communications and fundraising at Durrell, said: ‘This large-scale community project has combined art and conservation and marks the launch of Durrell’s fundraising efforts to build a state-of-the-art new gorilla house at Jersey Zoo.’
For all information about the auction visit gwg.durrell.org/auction.
Tickets are £25 each and include a drinks reception and street food throughout the night.
