Animal-themed Banksy artwork stolen in London

LONDON

People remove a new artwork by Banksy, depicting a howling wolf painted on a satellite dish that was placed on a shop roof in Peckham, south London, Thursday Aug. 8, 2024.

A new Banksy artwork depicting a wolf on a satellite dish in London was removed, possibly stolen, less than an hour after it was unveiled by the elusive street artist on Aug. 8.

The piece was the fourth animal-themed artwork that Banksy had installed in various parts of the U.K. capital this week.

The street artist, whose identity is unknown and the subject of feverish speculation, confirmed on Instagram that the works were his own.

The wolf silhouette was located on the roof of an empty shop in Peckham, southeast London.

Photos from the scene carried by local media show a person climbing up a ladder to retrieve the satellite dish while another holds the ladder for them.

Further images show an individual in shorts walking off with the piece of art.

"We were called to reports of a stolen satellite dish containing artwork at 1:52 pm [local time] on Thursday, 8 August in Rye Lane, Peckham," London's Metropolitan Police force said in a statement.

"There have been no arrests. Inquiries continue."

On Aug. 5, a Banksy of a goat precariously perched on top of a wall with rocks tumbling down appeared in Richmond, southwest London.

Then on Aug. 6 two elephant silhouettes with their trunks stretched towards each other appeared in Chelsea, southwest London.

On the next day, the black silhouette of three monkeys appeared on the side of a railway bridge as if they were swinging.

Several months usually pass between new Banksy artworks and this week's sudden spurt has sparked speculation among fans about their meaning.