Street artist Banksy did a series of animal sketches across London (Credit: Banksy/ Instagram/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

This summer, Banksy captivated Londoners with a remarkable series of artworks. From August 5 to 13, 2024, the anonymous British street artist revealed stunning animal sketches at various locations around the city.

The first artwork appeared on August 5, 2024. Residents of Kew awoke to a silhouette of a mountain goat perched on a structure supporting a factory wall. Delighted locals immediately attributed it to Banksy. The artist later confirmed their hunch by posting an image of the drawing on his Instagram page.

The different artworks appeared for nine straight days (Credit: Banksy/ Instagram/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

Then, the following day, another Banksy masterpiece appeared at the end of a row of homes in nearby Chelsea. This one depicted two elephants peering out from blocked out windows. The animal murals continued to appear on walls across London for nine consecutive days.

They included three monkeys swinging across a bridge and a howling wolf painted on a satellite dish. There was also a painted pair of pelicans perched above a fish-and-chips shop and a mural of a rhino climbing atop an abandoned car. Each masterpiece was posted on the artist's Instagram page for his millions of fans to enjoy.

The final artwork appeared the shutters of the London Zoo (Credit: Banksy/ Instagram/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

The ninth and final piece of Banksy's animal series appeared on the shutters of the London Zoo, on August 13, 2024. It showed a gorilla lifting up the shutter to allow a sea lion and several birds to escape.

Initially, Zoo officials placed a layer of thin plastic to protect the mural from the Sun. However, a few days later they removed the shutter with the precious artwork to preserve it forever. In its place, they installed a solid barrier featuring a high-quality photo of the artwork. It was accompanied by a sign that said: "Banksy was here."

“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,” Kathryn England, the zoo’s chief operating officer, said on its website. “This has become a significant moment in our history that we’re keen to properly preserve.”

Resources: NPR.org, BBC.com, Euronews.com, Artnews.com