Street art animals take over London - 26th August 2024

World-famous graffiti artist Banksy's been busy in London creating a series of animal images. His art trail began in south-west London with a goat perched on a stone ledge. The next day, two blank windows in Chelsea had elephants emerging from them.

Banksy's works often reflect his views on war, capitalism, and the human condition. The public eagerly followed his trail, exploring the creativity and messages behind each piece. His followers on Instagram speculated the elephants symbolised the climate crisis "elephant in the room". In east London, Banksy painted three monkeys hanging from a railway bridge, which fans pointed out could refer to the saying "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

Painted on day 5, two pelicans brought a small fish and chip shop in north-east London plenty of customers. But thieves and rival street artists were also following this artist's trail. The elephants were vandalised with white stripes, and a howling wolf painted on a white satellite dish in south London was stolen within an hour of it being spotted.

With some Banksy artworks selling for millions of pounds, authorities stepped in to safeguard some pieces for public display. A big cat stretching in the morning sun on an advertising board in north-west London along with swimming piranhas on a City of London police sentry box were removed for their protection.

Perhaps the measures were wise as Banksy's rhino climbing onto a car in south-east London was tagged by another artist soon after its creation.

Banksy's final painting, at London Zoo, depicted an animal breakout with a gorilla lifting a shutter to let a seal and birds escape. Thrilled zoo officials rescued the artwork and are planning for a future display. All that remains is a sign saying "Banksy woz 'ere."