Crossword Genius

Creatures go to river, sick with arsenic (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gorillas

'creatures' is the definition.
(gorillas are animals)

'go to river sick with arsenic' is the wordplay.
'to river' becomes 'r' (abbreviation for river).
'sick' becomes 'ill' (synonyms).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'arsenic' becomes 'As' (As is the chemical symbol for arsenic).
'go'+'r'+'ill'+'as'='GORILLAS'

(Other definitions for gorillas that I've seen before include "Large powerful apes from Africa" , "Largest primates" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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