Of Elephants And Gorillas

More than once I've heard the phrase "the 800 pound gorilla in the room."

People, people, it's not that hard.

First, you've got the 800 pound gorilla.  That means something so powerful or in charge it needn't worry what others do or think.

Then you've got the elephant in the room.  It refers to something that can't be ignored, even though people may try not to talk about it.

They're both fine metaphors.  No need to mix them.