Ninth gorilla artwork by Banksy appears at London Zoo

A Banksy artwork has appeared at London Zoo showing a gorilla letting a seal and several birds escape while the eyes of three other animals look out.

The black stenciled image on the zoo’s security shutters is the ninth animal-themed work claimed by the popular street artist in nine days (as with previous murals, an image of the gorilla was shared with his 13 million Instagram followers).

The menagerie of animals at London Zoo follows a mountain goat perched precariously on a wall pillar, followed by a pair of elephants, three swinging monkeys, a howling wolf, two fish-eating pelicans, a big cat on the track, a school of fish and a rhinoceros mounting a car at various locations around the city. Locations included the sides of buildings, the sign of a fish and chip shop, a police station and the bridge of a tube station.

Two of the nine artworks are no longer accessible to the public. Photos show that the image of the howling wolf, which was painted on a satellite dish, was stolen in broad daylight by three hooded men on August 8. The big cat, spray-painted mid-length on a blank billboard plywood panel, was removed by a contractor to reduce the chance of theft.

Banksy’s murals and artworks were posted on Instagram without captions, titles or other information, leading to speculation online about their meaning. On August 10, The Guardian reported that Pest Control Office, the artist’s support organization, found the many theories about the meaning of each new painting to be “far too complicated” and that the artist’s simple vision was to cheer up the public in a bleak time.

“Banksy’s hope, understandably, is that the uplifting works will provide people with a moment of unexpected amusement while gently underlining the human capacity for creative play rather than destruction and negativity,” wrote Vanessa Thorpe, who Guardian‘s correspondent for art and media.