The Gorillas have come to paint the town red, pink, yellow, blue...

Exeter Quayside was the place to be this morning, as 12 life-sized gorillas - part of Paignton Zoo's ambitious plan to combine art, conservation and the community to help celebrate its 90th anniversary as well as raise some much needed funds to aid conservation - floated into Exeter. With all the pomp and circumstance of the arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Cool Ice Cream Bananas, Darth Vader, Ubuntu, Bananarilla, Mr Bumble, Takamanda, Skins, Sora, X-ray Ape, Not so Different and Miss Prints made their way along the River Exe transported by Exeter Cruises with owner Richie O'Connell at the helm.

What was clear this morning was the magnetic attraction of the gorillas, enthralling adults but particularly children into getting a closer look and getting hands on. 

Paignton Zoo's Pippa Craddock told The Exeter Daily "The project started out as part of our business plan for the BID, with 12 life-sized gorillas to be placed in Paignton Town Centre and along the route to Paignton Zoo. However, the project was received with such enthusiasm that Simon Tonge, Executive Director of Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, suggested we widened our horizons. We were supported by Ian Broadfoot, Torbay Town Centres Manager, who told us about the Cow Parade in Edinburgh, which had proved so successful.

"We were also inspired by the success of similar events throughout the country, such as Bristol Zoo's Great Gorillas Project for its 175th anniversary, generating huge increases in footfall, public interest and media coverage and providing opportunities for sponsors to benefit from association with and coverage from the project. 

"We wanted to make it a force to unite communities, to encourage local residents to get out and about and to rediscover parts of the English Riviera and Exeter that they might not have been to for a while, if ever, and link up the two areas in a collaborative way. We are also running a schools programme, where young people have been able to showcase their creativity through the design and production of original gorilla art pieces for both their schools and the community to enjoy."

For 10 weeks in the summer of 2013, these magnificent life-sized gorilla sculptures will inhabit the streets, parks and open spaces showcasing the wealth of artistic talent in the area, while highlighting the significant conservation threat facing wild gorillas and how the local business community can make a difference.

The project had the full support of Exeter City Council, and Councillor Rosie Denham told The Exeter Daily, "It is a fantastically exciting thing to see the success of this project and for the gorillas to have finally arrived in Exeter. The main purpose has been to raise awareness and funds for the plight of gorillas in the wild, but we also hope it will attract tourists and residents alike to explore the area and link up Exeter with the English Riviera."

Economy & Tourism Manager for Exeter City Council, Victoria Hatfield said, "One of the hardest tasks was deciding where each of the gorillas should go. But we wanted to make sure they were placed in parts of the city that people do not necessarily venture to. It is a really family friendly trail and will hopefully provide a mutually beneficial link with the English Riviera to help boost much needed tourism in the area."

Although Ms Craddock could not be coaxed into making a decision as to which of the gorillas was her favourite - "They're all so wonderful, I couldn't possibly choose just one!" - there was a clear winner in the eyes of Cllr Denham and Ms Hadfield... their favourite was Miss Prints, due to be on display at Harlequins Shopping Centre and who was painted by award-winning artist Penny Robson and members from South Devon College Adult and Community Learning who took 200 hours to complete the painstaking task.

The Great Gorillas Project will not only enable Paignton Zoo to continue its vital conservation and education work, it will also make a difference in saving Cross River gorillas from extinction. The Cross River gorilla closely resembles the lowland gorilla found at Paignton Zoo.

Once thought to be extinct, this unique subspecies of gorilla ‘resurfaced’ in the 1980s and is found only along the southern section of the Nigeria-Cameroon border. Fewer than 300 Cross Rivera gorillas remain in the wild and it is the most endangered African ape, ranking among the world's 25 most endangered primate species. Illegal hunting for bushmeat and habitat loss threaten the future of Cross River gorillas.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has supported Cross Rivera gorilla research and conservation efforts since 1996, helping to manage protected areas that provide refuge to these gravely endangered apes.

In addition, some of the funds raised by the project will go to the Children's Hospice South West, which provides the only hospice care in the South West for children with life-limiting conditions. Their three hospices, in North Devon, Bristol and Mid Cornwall, provide respite care and support for those children and their families who are having to cope with the most difficult situations.

The Great Gorillas will be invading the streets from Saturday 3 August until Sunday 13 October 2013. They will then be at Paignton Zoo from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 October 2013 before being auctioned for charity on Wednesday 6 November 2013, providing plenty of opportunity to say hello to each gorilla and possibly even discover an area you have never visited before..

Click here for a full list of where you can see all of the gorillas on the trail or for more information and details of how you can support the project, visit the Great Gorillas website.