The colourful street animals London *should* have

A pink pigeon has been spotted in west London, where it’s mystifying the good people of Ealing (no, not colourful Camden or even dip dye Dalston where it might fit in better). It’s a fine specimen, I’m sure you’ll agree – but as a city, we shouldn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger.

How about…

Some fabulous blue birds:

Or these delightful yellow beauties:

And some finer ginger specimens:

Back on the ground, let’s spice things up with some sleek black foxes:

Grey squirrels? A little boring. Why not blue?

And some purple ones wouldn’t hurt either:

Then on the Underground, some glow-in-the-dark tube mice:

London’s many-hued urban fauna could become famous the world over – and that’s before they start producing new shades of technicolor offspring.

Sure, some might take exception to such a bold ecological experiment. But though many Britons mourn the demise of our native Red squirrel at the paws of the aggressive Grey, would anybody be complaining if the colours were the other way around? I think not.

And if you think these many-hued critters couldn’t survive out in the wild (or under the Westway) then consider the parakeet, flocks of whom can be found in a London park near you:

Their main enemy is in fact DEFRA, the government body who started culling parakeets last year after joylessly complaining that ‘non-native, invasive species deprive the British economy of £1.7bn every year.’ I bet they’re a real hoot at parties.

So good luck, pink pigeon, fly like the wind and watch your tail feather… at least until we get you some psychedelic friends. Guy Parsons

Tags: animals, foxes, guys parsons, mouse, parks, pigeons, wildlife