Puffins, dolphins and bumblebees among contenders to feature on new UK banknotes

In a surprising discovery, puffins, dolphins, and bumblebees are among the wildlife that could feature on new banknotes in the UK. The Bank of England officially announced a shortlist of native British wildlife to replace historic figures like Jane Austen, Winston Churchill and Alan Turing as the prominent images on the £5, £10, £20, and £50 banknotes.

While Wildlife was chosen because it was the public’s most popular theme, the update is primarily an anti-counterfeiting measure. Curated by wildlife experts, the list includes endangered creatures like the Atlantic salmon and marsh fritillary butterfly and is split into three categories:

• Mammals
• Birds
• Amphibians, insects and fish

It is pertinent to mention that the public can vote until 3 July by selecting up to two options per category. The Bank will use the results to choose four distinct animals. 

Most importantly, the top four highest-voted animals will not necessarily be chosen if they look too similar. It will take several years for these notes to enter circulation due to a lengthy testing process.

In this connection, Victoria Cleland, the Bank’s chief cashier, said: “I very much hope the public will enjoy engaging in our consultation to choose the animals to feature on our next series of banknotes. The shortlisted animals demonstrate the rich variety of wildlife we have to celebrate in the UK.”

The recent decision sparked political backlash that the conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said it was a “silly thing to do” while Reform UK’s Nigel Farage described it as “absolutely crackers.” 

Furthermore, animal charity RSPCA criticized the shortlist from a different angle that the Bank should have focused on less loved native species like pigeons, rats instead of popular wildlife.