Pelicans appeared on 9 August 2024 in Walthamstow, north-east London, as the fifth work in Banksy’s animal-themed mural series. The piece emerged on the wall of the fish-and-chips shop Bonners Fish Bar. As the final instalment of Banksy’s August 2024 London animal series, it carried a critique of consumption and local culture.

The work depicts two pelican figures; one spreads its wings while swallowing a fish, the other appears to steal the fish from the shop sign. The pelicans’ silhouettes are integrated with the shop signage. The piece reflects Banksy’s technique of fusing street art with everyday urban environments.

By integrating the pelicans with the signage of a local fish and chips shop, Banksy inverts natural hunting instinct with consumer culture. The pelicans, shown ‘stealing’ fish, make an ironic reference to human consumption of animals.

The work questions how consumer society corrupts nature. While the pelicans steal fish, it mocks the ‘local icon’ status of the fish and chips shop. By likening animal predation to human consumption, it symbolises how capitalism disrupts natural cycles. With a nod to Walthamstow’s neighbourhood culture, it critiques how globalisation swallows local elements.

The owner of Bonners Fish Bar called the work ‘exciting but vandalism’, yet the shop experienced a flood of tourists thanks to the mural. The piece was placed under protection by Waltham Forest Council.