A new Banksy artwork depicting a wolf on a satellite dish in London has been removed – possibly stolen – less than an hour after it was unveiled by the elusive street artist on Thursday.
The work was the fourth animal-themed artwork that Banksy installed in various parts of the British capital this week.
The street artist, whose identity is unknown and who is the subject of feverish speculation, confirmed on Instagram that the works were his own.
The wolf silhouette was on the roof of a disused shop in Peckham, southeast London.
Photos from the scene of the accident released by local media show a person climbing a ladder to retrieve the satellite dish while another person holds the ladder for them.
Other images show a person in shorts walking away with the artwork.
“We were called at 1:52pm (12:52 GMT) on Thursday 8 August to reports of a stolen satellite dish containing artwork in Rye Lane, Peckham,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
“There were no arrests. The investigation is ongoing.”
On Monday, a Banksy motif of a goat perched dangerously on a wall with stones falling from it appeared in Richmond, southwest London.
Then on Tuesday, two elephant silhouettes with their trunks stretched out towards each other appeared in Chelsea, southwest London.
On Wednesday, the black silhouette of three monkeys appeared on the side of a railway bridge, as if they were swinging.
There are usually several months between the releases of new Banksy artworks, and this week’s sudden rush has sparked speculation among fans about their meaning.
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