Baanksy, the painting sheep, has been declared missing from his home in South Africa, with his owners reporting him to be the target of a suspected kidnapping operation.
His owners, who run the farm sanctuary in Franschhoek from which Baansky’s art studio is based, have reportedly been “distraught” since learning of his kidnapping on February 1, and have offered a reward of R1.2 million (€62,000) for his safe return.
According to the farm sanctuary, the reward will be paid out over the course of six years, pending a successful prosecution and conviction of the perpetrators involved, and will only be awarded on the basis that their cherished “Rambrandt” is recovered alive.
In addition to the reward for his safe return, Farm Sanctuary’s founder, Joanne Lefson, has claimed to have employed the services of two private detectives in South Africa, who allegedly reached out to offer their help with the rescue efforts, after learning of the financial incentive.
The detectives have reportedly been “following some good leads and hope to have answers soon”, Lefson informed followers, in a recent update to the sanctuary’s social media channels.
Baanksy
According to Lefson, Baansky arrived to the sanctuary in 2022 as a week-old lamb, having been found on the side of the road by a passerby in an emaciated condition.
During his rehabilitation, the lamb would hang out with the sanctuary’s other animal artist in residence, ‘Pigcasso’, watching the pig while she painted.
“Then, one day in 2024, while this sheep was being sheared, one of Pigcasso’s brushes was used to clean the hair from the shears. When the sheep saw the brush, he walked up to it, took it in his mouth and tried to paint against the barn stall,” Lefson claimed on Baanksy’s website.
“Unbelievably, the sheep had learnt to paint by watching Pigcasso when he was just a little lamb! Throughout my life, I’ve been told that sheep are stupid.
“In fact, had the sheep not picked up the brush on that fateful day that Baansky had picked up a brush, I probably would have never considered giving a sheep a chance to explore the creative possibilities,” he wrote.
Baansky’s prolific exploits have been enjoyed around the world, with his paintings routinely selling between €1,300-3,000 each.
