by A new artwork at London Zoo has been confirmed as Banksy’s, marking his ninth artwork in the capital in nine days.
The new piece, mounted on a shutter at the entrance to the zoo, shows a gorilla being lifted up allowing some birds to escape, while the eyes of other animals can be seen lurking in the dark.
The work, which the artist posted on his official Instagram account, seems to be connected to previous pieces, with animals scattered around London outside their natural habitat.
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has confirmed it will protect the image with a Perspex cover, and leave the shutter down for thousands of visitors to see the gorilla on Tuesday.
It comes after his final piece, a rhino mounted on a silver Nissan Micra with a traffic cone on its bonnet, was defaced by a man wearing a black balaclava just hours after it went up.
Located in Charlton’s Westmoor Street, the rhinoceros piece was unveiled on Monday and video obtained by BBC News shows a man walking up to the artwork and spraying it, leaving a white tag on it.
The crowd that had gathered at the piece could be heard saying “don’t do that” and as the person walks away, a voice from the crowd asks: “Why did you do that? Why did you do it?”
Banksy has been posting artwork on his Instagram every day since August 5, and it’s unclear how long he’ll continue to dot artwork around the capital.
Rebecca Blanchard, media manager at ZSL, told PA news agency: “This was a huge surprise and we’re delighted to have been chosen to be the big finale of this much talked about series. “
She added that Banksy’s latest artworks have brought “so much joy and happiness” in London, just like the Regent’s Park-based zoo.
Ms Blanchard added that the zoo wants to “protect it from the sun’s rays” so they are looking at how to keep the artwork safe and will leave the shutter at the entrance down so visitors can see the see work as they enter the zoo.
She also said that he would wait at the zoo entrance.
Famous US photographer Kevin Mazur rushed down to the zoo on Tuesday.
Mazur, who was the official snapper for Justin Timberlake’s tour stop at the O2 on Monday night, disagrees that the London Zoo image is the last in the animal series.
He told PA: “My sons and I had so much fun when he came to New York and he was doing one every day for a month.
“I hope he is doing that for the people here in London, every day for a month. This is number nine, so maybe there will be more.”
The New York series was created by Bristol street artist Banksy in October 2013.
The rhino follows Sunday’s piece, a piranha on a police sentry box, which has now been removed near London’s Old Bailey court for preservation.
The anonymous artist appeared to have used translucent spray paint to turn the box into a giant fish tank for the piece which appeared on Ludgate Hill before it was removed by the local council.
The glass pan box will be temporarily housed at the City of London Corporation offices, less than a 15-minute walk from the previous location.
A spokesman for the authority said: “We have moved the artwork to Guildhall Yard to ensure it is properly protected and is open to the public to view safely.
“A permanent home will be arranged for the piece in due course.”
Banksy’s first piece was a goat perched on top of a wall and has been followed by silhouettes of elephants, monkeys, wolves, pelicans and cats, all of which have popped up in various locations around London.
A silhouette of a howling wolf on a satellite dish was stolen just hours after it was put up in Peckham, and police have confirmed to PA that no arrests have yet been made following the incident.
The sixth piece, a stretched cat on an empty, distressed billboard, was removed from its site in north-west London hours after it was unveiled on Saturday.
Crowds erupted when the piece in Cricklewood was dismantled by three men who said they were “hired” by a “contracting company” to take down the billboard for safety reasons.
The cat design was the second piece removed last week after a howling wolf on a satellite dish was taken from the roof of a building in Peckham, South London, less than an hour after it was unveiled.
A spokesman for Banksy told the PA news agency that the artist was not involved in the theft of the wolf artwork and that they had “no idea where the dish was”.
The fifth piece to be unveiled was at Bonners Fish Bar in Walthamstow, east London, and shows a pelican stooping to reach for a fish on a takeaway sign, while another throws one in the air.
The fish and chip shop announced in July that it would close from August 1 until September 5, and a message on its Instagram page expressed its gratitude for the artwork.
He said: “The last few days have been a whirlwind, thanks to everyone who has sent such kind words, comments and messages.
“We’re very sorry if we haven’t replied, as you can imagine it’s been amazing!
“We are delighted that Banksy has chosen our little fish and chip shop in wonderful Walthamstow and loves the design.
“As some believe, we did not ask him to do this, but we are very grateful!”
