Another Banksy has appeared in England’s capital – this time at London Zoo.
The artwork depicting a gorilla, seal and birds marks his ninth instalment in a series so far focused solely on animals.
Speculation about the meaning of this artwork varies, with some commenting that it’s an “anti-zoo message” and others calling it a “tribute to London Zoo”.
Banksy‘s latest graffiti campaign began last week, when an ibex goat appeared near Kew Bridge, in Richmond, west London.
This was followed by murals of elephants, monkeys, a wolf, pelicans and a cat, which appeared in various locations across the capital – and swimming piranhas appearing overnight in a police box in the City of London on Sunday.
Fans thought the series might finish at the end of last week – but another mural of a rhino appearing to mount an old silver Nissan Micra was found yesterday.
After the discovery of the gorilla artwork, London Zoo’s media manager Rebecca Blanchard told Sky News: “This is his [Banksy’s] incredible new mural.
“It’s at our entrance and will be available for people to see and admire. It’s very cool!”
Ms Blanchard believes it’s “a series to bring cheer and joy to London”.
“Animals bring joy – it’s a fact he’s clearly on board with,” she said.
The anonymous artist shared an image of the artwork to his Instagram page, as he has with all the instalments so far.
Some think this could mark the end of Banksy’s latest campaign, with one Instagram user commenting: “Looks like the final one – where it all started.”
‘This is now part of London’
London Zoo’s animal operations manager Daniel Simmons told Sky News he came into work at about 6.30am to feed the animals and saw the “big surprise”.
“Quite literally a big surprise – possibly one of the larger ones that Banksy’s done,” he said.
Mr Simmons, who used to be a gorilla keeper, said he was “particularly happy” to see that Banksy’s latest work featured a gorilla, as the zoo has western lowland gorillas which are critically endangered.
“It helps us deliver that message: you come to the zoo, you see some amazing animals, but most importantly [it] gives us that chance to deliver that message about the threats that gorillas face in the wild and everything we do as an organisation to protect them,” he said.
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He acknowledged Banksy’s artwork has many interpretations, but added he believes this piece will ultimately help the zoo.
“By having this here we’ve drawn in so many extra people today,” he said.
The shutter where Banksy put his art is one of three at the zoo’s entrance. The other two have been up today, but Mr Simmons said the one with the artwork will remain down for the time being to avoid it being damaged.
“We will protect it,” he said. “This is now part of London Zoo, but it’s also part of London in its own right, as are all of Banksy’s works.
“We take that really seriously and we want to make sure we protect this part of London and everything Banksy’s done for us.”
He said he wasn’t sure what the plan for its preservation would be long term, but added the zoo would “do whatever is needed to make sure” the art was protected.
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One of Banksy’s pieces was removed on Saturday
The pledge comes after one of Banksy’s other animal art pieces in London was removed and another stolen.
The Banksy animals so far
Banksy usually leaves months between his artworks, but they’ve been coming thick and fast. Here’s a recap of what else he’s done in London over the past nine days:
5 August: First piece appears in west London. Pic: PA
6 August: Two elephants with their trunks stretched toward each other appear on building near Chelsea. Pic: PA
7 August: Three monkeys are painted on a bridge in Brick Lane.
Pic: PA
8 August: A wolf howls in Peckham for Banksy’s fourth. Pic: PA
9 August: Pelicans pinch fish from Bonners Fish Bar in Walthamstow. Pic: PA
10 August: A catch stretching in Cricklewood. Pic: Reuters
11 August: Fish swim on a police box in the City of London. Pic: PA
12 August: The rhino mounting a car in Charlton
With the animal images coming daily, there has been much speculation about the meaning behind the series.
According to The Guardian, the new series of work by the elusive artist is meant to cheer up the public at a time when the news has been bleak, including headlines on widespread rioting across the UK.
The artist also made headlines in June when he released a migrant boat installation over the crowd at Glastonbury during performances by Idles and Little Simz.
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