A rhino artwork unveiled by Banksy on Monday, the eighth in the artist’s series of animal artworks across London, is being protected by a perspex screen after it was defaced.
Skip hire company RMS Limited was seen making efforts to protect the artwork on Tuesday afternoon after a man in a balaclava graffitied the animal. A silver Nissan Micra, which the rhino was originally depicted climbing onto, was also removed overnight.
The company told the Standard “it had to do something” to protect the artwork from further vandalism, adding that it should be “better protected”.
On Monday around 7.45pm a man wearing a black balaclava spray painted white letters over part of the work, according to a video published by the BBC.
Witness Stephanie Lester told the broadcaster the man “walked away from a jeering crowd”.
Another witness, Devan Vadukul, told the BBC said the man in a balaclava had “brazenly walked up and defaced the installation with a graffiti tag”.
He added: “The whole incident took place within less than 30 seconds before he disappeared with another male accomplice further down the road.”
A photo posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday morning appeared to show that the silver Nissan Micra had also been removed.
X user Sam wrote: “Well that lasted long,” with a sad face emoji.
A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of Banksy's latest artwork and are glad the renowned international artist recognises our status as one of London's cultural hotspots.
“It's a real shame that a mindless vandal has defaced the mural, which has already drawn visitors and brought so much joy to many. The council is now considering what would be reasonably possible for the future of the artwork and will be closely monitoring it.”
The council did not remove the car, the local authority confirmed.
It comes just hours after the Banksy artwork of piranhas in a police sentry box was moved from near the Old Bailey to a safe location by the City of London.
A spokesman for the City of London Corporation said: “We have moved the artwork to Guildhall Yard to ensure it is properly protected and open for the public to view safely.
“A permanent home for the piece will be decided in due course.”
The street artist has been posting artwork to his Instagram at about 1pm every day since Monday August 5.
On Tuesday Banksy unveiled his latest artwork next to the entrance of London Zoo, pictures of which were shared by the tourist attraction on Tuesday morning.
His first piece depicted a goat and was followed by silhouettes of elephants, monkeys, a wolf, pelicans, a cat and fish, which have all popped up in various locations across London.
The artist’s sixth piece, a stretching cat on an empty, distressed advertising hoarding, was removed from its location in north-west London hours after it was unveiled on Saturday
Crowds booed as the piece in Cricklewood was dismantled by three men who said they were “hired” by a “contracting company” to take down the billboard for safety reasons.
The cat design was the second piece to be removed last week after a painting of a howling wolf on a satellite dish was taken off the roof of a building in Peckham, south London, less than an hour after it was unveiled.
A spokesman for Banksy told the PA news agency that the artist is neither connected to nor endorses the theft of the wolf design and that they have “no knowledge as to the dish’s current whereabouts”.
The fifth piece to be unveiled last week was on Bonners Fish Bar in Walthamstow, east London, and shows a pelican stooping to scoop up a fish on the takeaway’s sign, while another is tossing one in the air.
A message on the shop’s Facebook page at the weekend said: “So proud to have a @banksy on the side of our shop! Thank you for choosing us, and Walthamstow to showcase your talent.”
