Last Artwork in Banksy’s Animal Series Taken Down by London Zoo

Stencilled on a shutter at the entrance to London Zoo, the mural depicted a powerful gorilla lifting up the metal barrier, creating a dark hole just big enough for other animals to make a speedy escape.

Now, Banksy’s ninth and final artwork in his animal-themed London series has itself been removed. The 196-year-old zoo decided to take down the artwork to “properly preserve” a “significant moment” in its history.

The zoo had previously warned visitors on social media about the plan to remove the artwork from public display on Friday evening, citing its safekeeping and the need to fully utilize the entrance during the busy summer period. They added, “We’re still working on exactly what we’re going to do with [it].”

It has been replaced with a replica and a nearby sign that reads “Banksy woz ere” to prevent crowding by the artist’s fans, who have been turning up in large numbers since the mural was unveiled on Tuesday.

The shutter to the entrance had remained closed since then, allowing visitors to admire Banksy’s piece. The mural featured a watchful gorilla helping a sea lion, several birds and bats, and three other mysterious animals—depicted only by their three sets of glowing eyes—making their escape into Camden.

In a blog posted on Thursday, Kathryn England, the chief operating officer of the zoo, publicly thanked Banksy for his artwork on the zoo’s shutter. She described it as “a significant moment in our history that we’re keen to properly preserve.”

“We’re thrilled by the joy this artwork has already brought to so many, but primarily, we’re incredibly grateful to Banksy for putting wildlife in the spotlight,” she added.

Up until Friday evening, zoo officials had protected the artwork with a Perspex cover to shield it from the sun’s glare.

Two other pieces in the series, which have appeared across London since 5 August, have been defaced. This includes the silhouettes of elephants in Edith Grove in Chelsea.

The Metropolitan police were called to reports of a theft after the fourth piece, depicting a howling wolf on a satellite dish, was taken down just hours after it appeared.

The sixth piece, featuring a stretching cat on a billboard, was also dismantled by three men who claimed they were hired for safety reasons. The billboard’s owner later said the work would be reassembled at an art gallery.

Last week, a spokesperson for Banksy told the Observer that the artist hoped the uplifting nature of the works would cheer people “with a moment of unexpected amusement, as well as to gently underline the human capacity for creative play, rather than for destruction and negativity.”

Source: The Guardian, The Observer