Banksy’s Animals Go Wild in London

London, England —(Map)

Banksy is a famous street artist who creates unusual pictures on walls. Recently, Banksy surprised people in London by putting up a new piece of art featuring animals every day for nine days. The series of paintings surprised and delighted people, who rushed to see them.

On August 5, a picture of a mountain goat appeared, painted high on a wall near a part of London called Kew Green. The goat appeared to be standing on a tall, thin column. Though it looked like Banksy’s work, people were only sure about that once Banksy posted a picture of the goat on his social media account.

On August 5, a picture of a mountain goat appeared, painted high on a wall near a part of London called Kew Green. The goat appeared to be standing on a tall, thin column. Though it looked like Banksy’s work, people were only sure about that once Banksy posted a picture of the goat on his social media account.

The next day, another new Banksy work showed up. This time, it was the outlines of two elephants, who appeared to be talking to each other out of two second-story windows. The following day, people discovered a painting of three monkeys, who seemed to be hanging from a thin ledge on the side of a bridge.

As each new piece was added, people began to wonder if there was a larger meaning to the series. It was clear that animals were part of the theme, but what did it mean? Banksy’s paintings are often funny. But it’s also common for them to have a message, or to point out a sad situation.

On August 8, the image of a wolf howling at the moon showed up painted on a satellite dish. The next day a pair of pelicans appeared to be pulling fish out of the sign of a fish shop. This was followed by an image of a large wild cat. The next day, the glass of a police lookout box was painted to make the box look like it was a tank full of piranhas (sharp-toothed fish).

Since Banksy’s works are created outdoors in public spaces, they don’t always last very long. Sometimes they are destroyed, or marked over. Sometimes people remove them in order to sell them.

People in London began rushing to see the new works as soon as they were posted online. Some people even changed their plans to go see the new pictures. The works became like a treasure hunt for Banksy’s fans.

In the next-to-last artwork, a rhinoceros appeared to be climbing on top of a car that seemed to have crumpled under the animal’s weight.

Some people think the series was meant to show how humans are taking over the world and pushing animals out. Others think the series was meant to show how people are connected by nature.

The final image of the series turned up at the London Zoo, and showed a gorilla who appeared to be lifting up a security gate to let other animals escape from the zoo.

The final image of the series turned up at the London Zoo, and showed a gorilla who appeared to be lifting up a security gate to let other animals escape from the zoo.

One thing that many people agreed on was that searching for the animals was part of Banksy’s artwork. “There are dozens if not hundreds of people going around the city, chasing the animals,” said one person. “We are part of the piece in a way.”

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Did You Know…?
Several of Banksy’s animal paintings have already been removed or marked on. But several others have been protected so that people can continue to enjoy them.