Banksy made a surprise return to London, leaving behind a series of stencilled animals that appeared across the city over nine consecutive days. Each morning revealed a new mural, ranging from a gazelle at Kew Bridge to a gorilla at London Zoo. Other works included elephants on Edith Terrace, monkeys on Brick Lane, a lone wolf on Rye Lane, pelicans on Pretoria Avenue, a black panther on Edgware Road, piranhas at Ludgate Hill, and a rhinoceros on Westmoor Street.

While Banksy offered no explanation for the sudden “animal kingdom” takeover, the works continue his tradition of using animal imagery as a vehicle for satire, symbolism, and social commentary. Whether playful or ominous, these interventions transformed London’s urban fabric into a living menagerie, inviting speculation on themes of survival, freedom, and the human relationship with nature.f