Banksy London Zoo Mural Offers Clue To Why Wild Animals Have Been Appearing All Over City

LONDON — Workers arriving at the London Zoo early Tuesday were astonished to find an unusual exhibit that suggested the animals were being released.

A artwork by the secretive street artist Banksy depicted a gorilla holding up the entrance gate while birds took flight and a sea lion waddled away. Three sets of eyes emerged from the darkness inside.

Banksy London Zoo Mural Offers Clue To Why Wild Animals Have Been Appearing All Over City

The artwork could explain why Bansky-created monsters, such as a mountain goat perched on a building buttress, piranhas surrounding a police watch post and a rhinoceros mounted on a car, have been appearing in the most improbable places across London for nine days in a row.

According to Dan Simmonds, the zoo’s animal operations manager, each of Banksy’s Instagram posts has a London Zoo hashtag. But he didn’t expect the artist to adorn the zoo’s doorway.

“Part of the enigma of Banksy is obviously that everything is a surprise,” according to Simmonds. “We had no idea it would happen right here, on one of our massive entry shutters. But stepping in and seeing that made me realise that, yes, we are extremely fortunate.”

Simmonds claimed he found the mural at 6:30 a.m. when he arrived to start feeding the hungry animals. Every morning, cyclists circled Regent’s Park, which includes the zoo, posing for selfies.

The roll-down shutter remained closed all day to highlight the work. It’s peak season at the zoo, but the renowned street artist immediately attracts his admirers, and crowds gather to see it and take photos.

Banksy began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England and has since become one of the world’s most recognizable artists.

His paintings and installations sell for millions of dollars at auction, attracting thieves and vandals. The most recent series of works is no exception, and workers at the zoo protected it later in the day with a see-through plastic covering.

The rhino that appeared on Monday was branded with graffiti. A wolf silhouette on a roof-mounted satellite dish, which appeared to howl at the moon, was stolen hours after word spread about the artwork last week.

A large cat stretched out on the back of a decaying billboard was removed within hours by three men who claimed they were contracted to do so for safety reasons.

A police sentry box resembling a fish tank was relocated from near the Old Bailey courthouse to the City of London corporate offices to secure it, according to a spokeswoman. It will eventually be displayed in public places.

Banksy London Zoo Mural Offers Clue To Why Wild Animals Have Been Appearing All Over City

It was unclear whether the zoo mural would be the final in the series.

Simmonds said the zoo was honoured that Banksy chose it for one of his canvases. He was especially excited to see the giant ape because he had previously been the gorilla keeper.

He believes the animal depicted in the painting is an endangered western lowland gorilla, a subspecies seen at the zoo. Simmonds identified one of the birds as a possible macaw and another as a bat.

“As for the eyes, who knows, maybe some cats peering out,” he remarked. “That is the beauty of it. Literally, only Banksy will know.”

SOURCE | AP