Bison mural painted in London

A stark reminder of what we have lost, but a symbol of hope for what can be achieved in the future.



The first-ever London Mural Festival took place in September 2020 with over 150 artists from around the world, painting large-scale walls across the capital. The London Mural Festival is about bringing art to the people in a public gallery, which became the world’s biggest celebration of street art.

One particular artist, Mark Anthony, from ATM Street Art, took it upon himself to paint this magnificent beast – the European bison. Mark was inspired by Kent Wildlife Trust and The Wildwood Trust's  Wilder Blean project, funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, where bison will be introduced to an ancient woodland in Kent.

Missing keystone species, particularly these ecosystem engineers, are key to creating a more biodiverse habitat thanks to their natural behaviours.

Bison can change woodlands in a way that no other animal can, they eat bark and create dust baths which each have benefits for many plants and animals, these are functions that have been missing from our UK woodlands for thousands of years and bringing them back can help restore an abundance of wildlife. This is the perfect example of a Nature-based Solution.

Netherlands bison. Credit: Evan Bowen-Jones

Mark chose to paint a European bison for the London Mural Festival as it was an ideal opportunity to showcase the idea of wilding to a new audience, something the team at Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust have been working hard toward too. Mark’s artwork highlights the need for more wild spaces in the UK and will hopefully inspire support from the public.


Mark Anthony, ATM Street Artist, said: 

“I was inspired by Kent Wildlife Trust's Wilder Blean project, which will reintroduce bison into a woodland in Kent and so few people are aware of what rich ecosystems this island once supported, with bears, lynx, wolves and bison at large. Our landscape is so impoverished and a sad shadow of the abundance it once sustained."

"Reintroducing once-extinct species is one of the most exciting developments of recent years. It has already happened with the European beaver, returned to Britain after an absence of 400 years. These creatures, like bison, have a dramatic effect on the landscapes they inhabit, creating new habitats and ecological niches for myriad other species with their activities. For this reason, they are known as ecosystem engineers."

“Painting a bison on a street in North London will act as a stark reminder of what we have lost, but also as a symbol of hope for what can be achieved in the future for a richer, more abundant and biodiverse country.” 

Mark Anthony painting the bison mural