In London, on what might be termed the tenth day of creation, the enigmatic street artist Banksy concluded his audacious series of animal murals, leaving a particularly striking piece at the London Zoo. Over the previous nine days, Banksy’s playful depictions of various animals—from mountain goats to gorillas—had sprung up across the city, captivating Londoners and art aficionados alike.
This final mural was unveiled to the early morning zoo staff, taking them by surprise as they went about their routine of feeding the animals. The artwork portrayed a gorilla hoisting the entrance gate, while birds fluttered away, a sea lion shuffled off, and three pairs of eyes gleamed from the shadows. This unexpected arrival marked the end of Banksy’s captivating series, a phenomenon that had kept fans on their toes, eagerly chasing each new revelation.
The artist’s website and Instagram, typically buzzing with updates, were silent by Wednesday. Nearby residents, often the first to witness and photograph these transient masterpieces, found themselves with a day of suspenseful waiting. Banksy’s spokesperson remained elusive, not responding to multiple inquiries from the Associated Press, adding another layer of mystery to the unfolding tale.
Debates among Banksy’s worldwide fanbase continued to flourish online. Interpretations varied widely — some saw the animal series as a commentary on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, while others linked it to recent far-right riots in Britain. There were also those who believed Banksy was highlighting the plight of animals in captivity, while others thought the final mural whimsically explained the origins of the other depicted creatures.
Jasper Tordoff, an expert on Banksy affiliated with MyArtBroker, noted an earlier theory that posited a Noah’s Ark theme in the sequence of animals—one that was ultimately disrupted by an isolated depiction of a lone wolf on the fourth day. Tordoff remarked that Banksy’s often politically charged art, crafted with stencils and spray paint, managed to blend cleverness with simplicity, aimed at injecting joy into a period overshadowed by grim news.
Tordoff hypothesized that Banksy might be subtly critiquing human nature and materialism, especially given that one work had already been stolen and others safeguarded. “We’re part of this pantomime of Banksy,” Tordoff reflected. “Banksy undoubtedly knew that all of this would be caught on camera, and that public reaction would be just as significant as the art itself.”
The series featured nine murals, predominantly rendered in silhouette. On August 5th, a mountain goat appeared balanced on a precarious building ledge in west London, seeming to gaze at rocks crumbling beneath its hooves. The next day, two elephants emerged on boarded-up windows of a Chelsea rowhouse, their trunks outstretched as if acknowledging the proverbial “elephants in the room.”
On August 7th, three monkeys were seen frolicking on a railway bridge in east London, echoing the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” motif from ancient Japan. The sequence of multiplying animals was interrupted on the 8th by a solitary, howling wolf adorning a satellite dish. This piece was quickly stolen by masked individuals who whisked it away using a ladder on a south London storefront.
August 9th featured pelicans atop a fish and chip shop sign in northeast London, each depicted in a lively struggle for fish, real and painted. The shop’s owners expressed their delight on Instagram, clarifying they had not commissioned the work but were thrilled by it.
A large cat stretched languorously on a plywood billboard in north London on August 10th, drawing an audience that later expressed their disapproval when it was removed by contractors. The following day, a tiny police guard post’s windows were transformed into a vibrant fish tank filled with piranhas, this being the only piece with color in the series. That artwork has been relocated for public display.
On August 12th, a rhinoceros was seen seemingly poised to mount a parked Nissan car on a brick wall in the city. This mural was eventually defaced with graffiti, and the car was removed.
The final, zoo-based mural, unearthed early on August 13th, brought a sense of wonder to many, including Dan Simmonds, the zoo’s animal operations manager. “A massive surprise,” he commented, describing the awe of commuters who, over the next day, flocked to the site to capture images of the artwork, now protected behind barriers and an acrylic shield, under watch by three security guards.
