The search is on for the world’s only painting sheep after he mysteriously disappeared from his art studio last month.
Baanksy’s devastated owner, Joanne Lefson, claims the two-year-old sheep was stolen in the middle of the night from her farm sanctuary in Cape Town, South Africa.
Employing a team of private investigators and psychics to help track him down, she is now offering a $100,000 reward for his safe return.
Joanne, 53, confirmed last week that there’s still been no sight of Baanksy after he failed to show up to meet a client from the United Kingdom for a sale.
“I cannot believe it was random that it was Baansky taken [from a flock of eight],” Joanne said.
“For rustlers to break in and him being the only one stolen from their field just does not make sense to me.
“It does not bear thinking that the only sheep in the world who is one of a kind has been randomly stolen by a stock thief. I just pray that he is being held somewhere and is still safe.”
Last year, Baanksy became famous for his ewe-nique artwork after following in the ‘hoofsteps’ of his predecessor, the painting pig ‘Pigcasso’.
The duo, who stayed in the same pen until Pigcasso’s death in March 2024, created hundreds of paintings that were sold to fans from around the world, including George Clooney.
“Pigcasso had passed on all her skills to Baanksy before she died and he has done 17 paintings which were getting better and better,” Joanne said.
“It makes me sick to my stomach that someone could have taken him intentionally.
“He is recognisable by the paint on his hooves and nobody is getting the reward if they bring a look-alike sheep back unless I take him to a canvas and he begins painting!”
