Nine animal-themed Banksy murals that recently appeared in London have left many pondering the meaning behind the elusive street artist's latest work. Here's a look at the mystery behind the artist and his art. - REUTERS
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00:00His identity is shrouded in mystery, but his art appears in the most public of places.
00:07Renowned British street artist Banksy has created the ninth and perhaps final mural
00:13of his animal-themed art trail across London.
00:16A gorilla freeing a sea lion and birds appeared on the doorstep of the London Zoo.
00:21Staff say they will keep the mural preserved, as it has already delighted crowds of people.
00:27The series began with a mountain goat, then elephants, monkeys and a wolf on a satellite
00:32dish, which was stolen within hours of being unveiled.
00:36Then came pelicans above a fish and chip shop, a cat, a fish tank on a police box and a rhino.
00:44Banksy has claimed all of these murals on his Instagram account, which has some 13 million
00:49followers.
00:51And yet he follows no one.
00:53The BBC, citing Banksy's team, said the gorilla artwork was the final piece of the series.
00:59Banksy's team did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.
01:04Executive Director of New York's Banksy Museum, William Mead, told Reuters in May that mystery
01:10is a common thread throughout his work.
01:12Banksy is one of the most unusual artists because not only is he elusive in terms of
01:18who and what he is, but also he was never, no one knows exactly where he came from or
01:25what he's doing.
01:27The wonderful thing about Banksy is that there's no laws, there's no, you know, he doesn't
01:32want anybody telling you what to do or how to experience the art.
01:35But some speculate Banksy, who has highlighted themes of war and climate change in his previous
01:41work, could be relating animals to the riots and racist attacks that have recently swept
01:47the UK.
01:49Other theories on social media suggest these murals point to the downfall of humanity.
01:54One user wrote,
01:55Humanity is not going to last.
01:58Animals will be taking over.