Crossword Genius

In old Portuguese colony, Brook a wild animal (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gorilla

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'wild animal' is the definition.

'in old portuguese colony brook a' is the wordplay.
'in old portuguese colony' becomes 'go' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'brook' becomes 'rill' (I've seen this in another clue).
'go'+'rill'+'a'='GORILLA'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for gorilla that I've seen before include "African great ape" , "The biggest ape" , "thug" , "Large chest-beating ape" , "A large powerful African ape" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.