London Zoo Removes Banksy’s Gorilla Artwork for ‘Safekeeping’ and Thanks Him for ‘Putting Wildlife in the Spotlight’

It was only a matter of time before another Banksy animal mural in London was removed by someone to prevent it being stolen or defaced.

The escape artist gorilla stenciled on a shutter at the entrance to London Zoo last Tuesday has been taken down by the zoo for “safekeeping.”

It follows the removal of a big cat painted on a bare billboard in northeast London by a contractor. The man said he did it to stop the artwork being “ripped down” by thieves. Banksy’s wolf daubed on a satellite dish in was stolen by a hooded trio in broad daylight, his Rhino mounting a car was vandalized, so too the pair of elephants he painted on blocked bricked up windows.

London Zoo said it removed the ninth and final artwork in animal-themed series to “properly preserve” a “significant moment” in its almost 200-year history. It did send out a warning on social media that it was planning to take down the artwork from public display on Friday for “to make full use of our entrance during the busy summer period.”

“We’re still working on exactly what we’re going to do with [it],” the Zoo wrote on X.

The gorilla has since been replaced with a replica and a sign close by that reads “Banksy woz ere.” Crowds have been gathering at the entrance to the zoo to catch a glimpse of the mural.

“We know the power animals have to inspire and engage people, being among nature boosts people’s mental health, physical health, and well-being,” Kathryn England, the CEO of London Zoo posted on its website. “We’re thrilled by the joy this artwork has already brought to so many, but primarily, we’re incredibly grateful to Banksy, for putting wildlife in the spotlight.”

The gorilla is shown helping several animals escape from the zoo including a sea lion, birds, and some other lurking in the darkness, only the whites of their eyes visible.

Banksy said in a statement last week that he hoped the artworks would cheer people “with a moment of unexpected amusement, as well as to gently underline the human capacity for creative play, rather than for destruction and negativity.”