Banksy’s London Zoo mural has been removed for “safekeeping”

19 August, 2024

a new mural by street artist Banksy of a gorilla freeing animals on the shutters at London Zoo on August 13, 2024 in London, England

Banksy’s ninth and final animal-themed mural across London has been removed by the London Zoo for “safekeeping” – find out more below.

The nine-piece series first began on Monday (August 5) with a stencilled goat mural perching precariously on a ledge in Richmond, followed on Tuesday by two elephants almost touching trunks outside windows in Chelsea. Since then, Banky has revealed a new animal-themed mural every day until August 13.

Banksy goat mural
Banksy goat mural. Credit: Carl Court/Getty

Last Tuesday (August 13), the elusive Banksy premiered the ninth and final animal mural on the shutters of the London Zoo, which depicts a gorilla lifting up the shutters for other animals to escape.

On Friday (August 16), the London Zoo confirmed that it has removed the painting for its “safekeeping”. It wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “The artwork will be removed from public display on Friday evening for its safekeeping and to make full use of our entrance during the busy summer period. We hope as many of you as possible will be able to visit the piece tomorrow!”

The following day, the zoo replied to a follower’s inquiry about what was being done with the mural: “We’re still working on exactly what we’re going to do with the artwork, but we’re keen to properly preserve this moment in our history!”

 

Wednesday (August 7) saw the arrival of three monkeys swinging from a bridge in Shoreditch, while on Thursday a wolf howling at the moon from a satellite dish in Peckham was almost immediately stolen.

On Friday (August 9), a fish and chip shop in Walthamstow suddenly had two pelicans eating fish outside it, and on Saturday (August 10), a stretching cat appeared on a wooden advertising hoarding on Edgware Road.

Other murals included in the series included artwork of a school of fish swimming on the glass-fronted box on Ludgate Hill, and a rhinoceros propping itself up on a deflated car.

An artwork by Banksy depicting a big cat looking up toward a hole in a disused advertising billboard, in northwest London, on August 10, 2024. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP via Getty)

It was reported last week (August 10) via Banksy’s support organisation Pest Control Office, that his intention with the project was to bring cheer to the public mood during a time when the country has been subjected to far-right riots, with uplifting and surprising moments of joy or amusement, with an emphasis on humans’ capacity for creativity rather than destruction.

The report adds that the public can expect more new works in the series “for a few days more”. It follows on from a more politically-motivated intervention from Banksy at this year’s Glastonbury, when a dummy-filled immigrant boat was launched into the crowd during IDLES’ set on the Other Stage, and then again during Little Simz‘s Pyramid stage performance.

The boat was a visual reference to the current migrant crisis, which had become the focal point of then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s immigration policy. The stunt was criticised by then-Home Secretary James Cleverly, who called it “vile”.

In response, Banksy said: “The Homeland Security called my Glastonbury boat ‘vile and unacceptable’ which seemed a bit over the top. The real boat I fund, the MV Louise Michael rescued 17 unaccompanied children from the central med on Monday night. As punishment, the Italian authorities have detained it – which seems vile and unacceptable to me.”

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