gorilla

In “Betty Boop’s Halloween Party,” also from 1933, a nasty gorilla interrupts Betty’s happy soiree, attended by a variety of woodland and jungle animals, and in “Red Hot Mama,” from 1934, Betty dreams herself in hell, where she dances with devils and anthropomorphic flames.

“It’s like if a gorilla virus emerged in San Diego and first hit people who worked at the San Diego Zoo and lived nearby, then spread later more widely,” said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona who worked on the study.

Gabonese officials need not despair, given the array of attractions in their home country - including stunning white sand beaches and some of the world's best gorilla safaris in Loango National Park.

The piece, which shows a gorilla lifting the shutter to release a sea lion and birds, has been replaced with a replica.

Mr Ryan added while there were new elements to Banksy's campaign such as building momentum by posting a daily "teaser" on social media, there were also references to his previous work with the gorilla piece being reminiscent of his 2006 "Sweep It Under the Carpet" work depicting a maid with a dustpan and brush which was also painted in north London.