Banksy on Tuesday morning unveiled his ninth animal artwork in as many days on a white shutter at London Zoo.
The artwork of a gorilla, seal and birds is in a similar style to the elusive artists’ eight other animal works that have been unveiled across the capital.
The artist confirmed the work is his in a post to Instagram at 9.30am, after London Zoo speculated about it earlier on Tuesday.
Staff at London Zoo think Banksy chose the attraction as they both spark “joy”.
Rebecca Blanchard, media manager at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), told the PA news agency: “This was an incredible surprise and we are, quite frankly, thrilled that he’s chosen us to be what could be the grand finale of this series that’s been so talked about.”
She added that the latest Banksy artworks in London have “brought so much joy and cheer”, just like London Zoo.
“We know that animals, wildlife, they bring joy to people,” Ms Blanchard said.
“They improve people’s mental health, physical health, your general wellbeing is improved by being around nature and wildlife, and Banksy’s done that around London, and he’s then gone, ‘hey, I know who else does that’. That’s my interpretation.”
She also said “it’s sparking a lot of smiles”, with cyclists stopping to take selfies with the artwork featuring a gorilla with birds.
Ms Blanchard added that they want to “protect it from the glare of the sun” and will leave the shutter at the entrance down so visitors can see the work as they go in to the zoo.
US celebrity photographer Kevin Mazur rushed down after being the official snapper for Justin Timberlake’s tour stop at the O2 on Monday night.
He said: “I turned my kids on to Exit Through The Gift Shop, his documentary, and because of that, they got totally into art and Banksy.
“I keep sending them everything, the guy is so creative, so talented.”
Mazur disagrees that the London Zoo image is the last in the animal-series, saying: “Me and my sons had a lot of fun when he came to New York and he was doing one every day for a month.
“I’m hoping that he’s doing that for the people here in London, every day for a month. This is number nine, so maybe it’ll be more.”
Previous animal artworks spotted around the capital have been confirmed by the artist at 1pm on the day they appeared.
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.
Earlier on Tuesday it appeared the silver Nissan Micra that was part of a Banksy rhino artwork in Charlton had been removed.
The artwork was also defaced on Monday by a man wearing a balaclava just hours after it was unveiled by the artist.
Also on Monday 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.
Banksy’s animal series has sparked debate online about a possible deeper meaning, with previous Banksy artworks analysed for their political statements.
But Banksy’s support organisation, Pest Control Office, appeared to put this to bed when it indicated to The Independent that the animal series has been created to simply to cheer people up and “inject some fun and lightheartedness into summer”.
Either way, Londoners appear to be enjoying the series, with one posting on Instagram: “It has been such a fun week!”
Pest Control Office declined the Standard’s request for comment.
