What IS Banksy trying to say with his animal artworks? Fans go into a frenzy trying to decipher meaning behind his paintings of goats, elephants, monkeys and wolves which appeared across four days in London

Banksy fans have been sent into a frenzy as they try to decipher the meaning behind the four cryptic animal artworks he unveiled across London this week. 

A painting of one goat appeared on Monday on a wall near Kew Bridge in Richmond, followed by two elephants with their trunks sticking out of boarded up windows on the side of a house in Chelsea on Tuesday.

Yesterday, three monkeys – painted in Banksy’s iconic stencil design – were spotted swinging across a bridge in Brick Lane.

A fourth new artwork depicting a howling lone wolf debuted today on a satellite dish in Rye Lane and appears to have been stolen just an hour after it was unveiled.

Footage shows how a group of hooded men dismantled the piece before carrying it away. leaving followers to question whether the theft just another stunt by the artist.

Four elusive murals painted by Banksy have popped up around London. Followers are questioning whether the location has any relevance to what they mean

Banksy posted artwork of a goat perched on top of a wall near Kew Bridge in Richmond on Monday 

Another new artwork, confirmed to be by Banksy, was unveiled on a wall of a house in Chelsea, London this week 

A third painting, which shows three monkeys swinging from a railway bridge, popped up in Brick Lane

A fourth piece depicting a howling lone wolf debuted today on a satellite dish in Rye Lane 

The artworks, posted on Banksy’s Instagram with no caption, have left followers trying to untangle the meaning themselves.

Is Banksy trying to spell something with the types of animals? If so, we have got G, E, M and W so far. Or perhaps the goat is actually an Ibex – on the verge of extinction – and the monkeys are orangutans? 

What do the distinct locations he has chosen mean? 

While some fans have linked the paintings to the war on Gaza, others believe it is to do with misinformation and the far-right protests of the past week. For some, he is trying to make a point about climate change and extinction.

It’s hard to tell which are correct, but Banksy’s works are almost always trying to make a political point.

The first painting of the week shows a goat teetering on a ledge, with rocks seemingly tumbling down as a surveillance camera watches on. It was painted on the wall of engineering firm Boss & Co, which builds exclusive guns. 

One follower speculated: ‘My interpretation, it may be wrong. The endangered Palestinian Mountain Gazelle is the national animal of Palestine. The world is watching whilst it teeters on the edge. Limited time to save it.’

Footage captured by CCTV showed a cherry picker van with two men dressed in orange high-vis clothing and helmets – one of whom is believed to be Banksy – in Kew Bridge on Monday 

Another agreed, adding: ‘All whilst the world looks on via the media camera at the falling debris and sometimes forgetting the actual gazelle/Palestinian living on Ltd time.’

Many pointed to the fact the CCTV camera has been placed facing the falling rocks as opposed to the goat. They think it could symbolise the need for context on social media and the news – and that it could be linked to the riots which broke out as a result of misinformation following the Southport knife attacks.

One said: ‘The camera is looking at the falling rocks, rather than what’s causing them to fall. 

‘Goats are adapted to climbing on narrow ledges, so it isn’t in danger, but the camera’s view doesn’t give the full picture. So I’d guess that it’s referencing the need to understand that news needs context before forming an opinion.’ 

Another speculated: ‘In light of the recent riots in the UK, a Banksy silhouette of a goat perched on the edge, watched by a CCTV camera, takes on profound significance. 

‘The goat represents the rebellious spirit of those feeling marginalised or oppressed, fighting against perceived injustices and systemic issues. It also symbolises the scapegoating of certain groups during times of social unrest.

‘The CCTV camera highlights the increased surveillance and control measures implemented by the state in response to the riots. It symbolises the government’s attempt to maintain order and assert authority, reflecting the tension between state power and civil liberties.

‘The goat’s precarious position on the edge mirrors the fragile state of UK society, teetering on the brink of chaos due to the recent disturbances.

Employees move a CCTV camera back to its original position after Banksy moved it 

Overall, the artwork critiques the current social and political climate in the UK.’

The wall it was painted on sits beside a sign which reads ‘Caxton Name Plate Mfg Co Ltd. The ‘Ltd’ part of the sign can be seen in the picture Banksy posted on Instagram.

One wrote: ‘The building the art is on is Caxton Name Plate Co Ltd, named after William Caxton the founder of the first British printing press. It’s on huge letters just left of the art! Perhaps the mountain goat is caught precariously between the written press and social media, where the true nuanced story is hard to decipher?!’

For some, however, the meaning was simple and clear. It stood for GOAT – greatest of all time.

One Instagram account, Banksy_archive said: ‘The GOAT.’ Meanwhile, one person thought it had to do with the Olympics.

Meanwhile, some concluded that the two elephants painted onto a building on the corner of Edith Terrace and Edith Grove in Chelsea refers to ‘elephants in the room’.

The building is understood to be split into three flats and is owned by Shabir Chowdhary, the managing partner of an asset management company RYSE.

Some are saying the piece in Chelsea could be a reference to ‘elephants in the room’ 

One comment read: ‘Walking by and ignoring “the elephant in the room”… Perfect representation of the UK right now.’

An Instagram account, Streetworked, commented: ‘The elephant in the room – “a major problem or controversial issue that is obviously present but avoided as a subject for discussion because it is more comfortable to do so”… AKA Palestine.’

One interesting theory, however, believed the painting was trying to touch on family values and reconnecting the bond between parent and child.

The Instagram user wrote: ‘Disconnect between parent and child (parent is tusked). 

‘For me, this represents the individualized family, distanced and removed connection as the social rule, opposing the very nature of elephants as highly familial and connected creatures. 

‘We need to choose our own nature of connection over allowing and promoting disconnection in our families and youth (regardless of the cause, it’s on us to connect). Thank you Banksy.’

Meanwhile, one viewer joked: ‘Professional zoologist here – these are elephants.’

The code became harder to crack as more painting popped up.

The mural of the three monkeys swinging on a bridge under a tube line is the most recent, appearing in Brick Lane yesterday. It is placed near a vintage clothing shop and a coffee house in the popular market street, not far from Shoreditch High Street.

The elusive artist confirmed the piece was his on Instagram but did not caption the post, fuelling speculation about its meaning

Three monkeys have been associated with the Japanese proverb ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’. But in Banksy’s work, the monkeys are not covering their eyes, ears or mouths.

While the meaning of the third painting had thrown a lot of followers off, one person was convinced they’d cracked the code.

They wrote: ‘Explanation: Banksy’s artwork featuring monkeys jumping along a tube over a bridge can be seen as a critique of the chaotic and irrational behavior in society, especially during the Trump era and the fears of terrorism. The monkeys symbolize the masses blindly following a fragile path, reflecting how populism and fear can lead to reckless actions. The bridge, representing connection and progress, becomes a stage for dangerous antics, highlighting the shift from constructive dialogue to destructive behavior in contemporary politics.’

Another follower, wrote simply: ‘The future is history. They are coming.’ 

Trying to link the significance between the three paintings, one follower said: ‘One animal, isolated and helpless; Two animals, watching out for each other; Three animals, overcoming difficulties together?’

While separate theories have popped up for each painting, many have been left confused at how they link, and whether there will be a fourth painting unveiled today.

It comes after the moment Banksy climed into a cherry picker wearing a face mask and hard hat as he prepared to paint the goat mural was captured in pictures.

Footage captured by CCTV cameras showed the cherry picker van with two men dressed in orange high-vis clothing and helmets.

One of the men, who is masked, is believed to be elusive guerrilla artist Banksy, famed for his politically themed works. Accompanied by a friend, he is seen in the back of the cherry picker van with the two locked in conversation.

One of the men is believed to be elusive guerrilla artist Banksy, famed for his politically themed works 

A member of the public takes a photo of Banksy’s new piece of artwork near Kew Bridge

The footage was captured at around 5am on Monday. The painting showing a goat balancing on top of some masonry appeared on the exterior wall that same morning.

Bosses from Boss & Co told MailOnline that they noticed the new artwork when they arrived for work.

An official said: ‘We noticed the artwork first thing in the morning and assumed it must be a Banksy.

‘Then we checked our security footage and saw the two men. They then pushed our security camera up and you can’t see them after that. It happened around 5am and they were there for about half an hour.’

Banksy had only unveiled his latest artwork on Instagram at 1pm today, but the piece was removed within minutes.

Painted in black against a greyish white satellite dish, the artwork seemed to depict the lone wolf in the background of a full moon. 

Based on Rye Lane, Peckham, the satellite dish had been placed atop what used to be a Betfred betting shop.

It is believed the satellite dish used by Banksy was a fake one which wasn’t installed at the site, as a Google street view from 2023 shows it was not previously there.

A group of hooded men wearing facemasks and gloves were spotted scaling the building, removing the satellite dish, and walking off. 

The group are understood to have scoped out the scene before returning five minutes later with a ladder which was placed against the boarded up shop.

Photos from the incident also shows the gang round up a man and launch his phone into the air after he tried to stop them. 

A hooded man with a mask holding the satellite dish while stood on top of the building

Another is seen walking off with the Banksy artwork which had just been unveiled this afternoon

One of the men is spotted helping to carry down the satellite dish. The back of his t-shirt spells the website to an events company

A masked man seen dismantling the satellite dish while wearing blue latex gloves

The Banksy press team told the BBC they ‘believed’ the artwork had been stolen.

A witness to the removal of the Banksy artwork has described his encounter with those taking it.

Tom Kellow, who lives in Peckham, said he had decided to walk down to Rye Road to see the artwork on his lunch break.

He said: ‘I was walking down around 1pm and saw three guys nicking it.

‘They had a ladder. There was one guy on the roof and the other two were watching the ladder.

‘They saw me filming and it got a bit tetchy. One gave me a kick in the side and another tried to throw my phone on the roof. Luckily it hit a tree and came back down again.

The group set up a ladder at the scene and worked together to dismantle and take the new artwork

The ‘Banksy bandit’ suspects were re-bailed after the £250,000 stop sign piece of art was allegedly ‘stolen’ from a Peckham street in broad daylight last year

‘I told a police officer in the area about it.

‘It’s a great shame we can’t have nice things and it’s a shame it couldn’t have lasted more than an hour.’

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘We were called to reports of a stolen satellite dish containing artwork at 1.52pm on Thursday, 8 August in Rye Lane, Peckham.

‘There have been no arrests. Inquiries continue.’