Life News

Barn owls, bees, puffins and hedgehogs: the animals chosen for Britain's next banknotes

The Bank of England said on Thursday, October 8, that a buff-tailed bumblebee, a barn owl, a European hedgehog and an Atlantic puffin will appear on its next series of banknotes. The Guardian said the public chose from 18 options in three categories after a consultation picked wild animals as the theme; the puffin was added to celebrate Britain's coastline.

“I am delighted that nearly half-a-million people responded to our wildlife imagery consultation, showing that cash still matters.” — Victoria Cleland, chief cashier, via The Guardian

King Charles will stay on the other side of the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, which are expected to take several years to design. Among the losers were the basking shark, the common frog and the red fox. The Guardian recalled that dropping historical figures such as Winston Churchill and Jane Austen caused a backlash in March, when Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the Bank of “erasing our history”.

How each outlet framed it

• The Guardian — the vote, the losers and the political row.
• ITV News — a simple reveal of the four animals.
• Euronews — the biodiversity angle: British wildlife 'in our hands'.
• Daily Maverick — South African readers got the list of birds, bees and hedgehogs.
• Otago Daily Times — a New Zealand headline on famous Britons being replaced.

What we don't know yet: Which animal goes on which note, and when the new notes will reach wallets. The Bank says the designs will take several years.