LONDON:

Street artist Banksy completed the ninth – and possibly final – mural on his animal art trail through London on Tuesday: a painting on the shutters of London Zoo shows a gorilla freeing a sea lion and birds.

The series began on Monday with a mountain goat and was followed by eight more artworks, including three monkeys hanging from a railway bridge, the silhouette of a wolf on a satellite dish and two pelicans above a fish and chip shop. The zoo painting shows a gorilla opening a metal shutter to release birds and a sea lion. Banksy has posted images of all his murals on his Instagram account.

The BBCciting Banksy’s team, said the gorilla artwork was the last piece in the series. The artist’s team did not immediately respond to a Reuters Request for comment.

Staff at London Zoo were thrilled to discover the latest mural had been painted right on their doorstep, and many passersby stopped by to admire it and take photos, said Rebecca Blanchard, the zoo’s media manager.

“This is bringing a smile to so many people’s faces this morning,” Blanchard said as she stood in front of the mural. She said the zoo has yet to decide what to do with it, but they will “definitely keep it and preserve it.”

Blanchard said the artwork could be the “grand finale” of what she described as an “incredible series celebrating animals.”

Numerous theories circulated on social media about the meaning of the works of an artist whose previous work has addressed themes such as war and climate change.

Some speculated that they might be related to the riots and racist attacks that have rocked the country over the past week. Others linked them to the idea that humanity is bringing about its own demise.

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