What is THE HERDS?

In the Spring of 2025, huge herds of life-size puppet animals will rampage through city centres on a 20,000km route from Central Africa to the North of Europe, in a vast work of public art and climate action.

Public art and climate action

As storytellers we believe that an emotional experience is the way to spark climate action. Across Africa and Europe huge herds of puppet animals will crash into our cities in events created by world-leading artists investigating the relationship between us and nature.

A puppeteer performs with a life size puppet of a gazelle made of cardboard, paper and plywood.

The puppet animals

THE HERDS is made up of dozens of species including elephants, giraffes, antelope, lions and more. Participants along the route will build animals from renewable and recyclable materials.

Education programme

“Boxed Wilderness” is our education programme of curiosity-based, community-integrated learning and play inspired by the natural world. It will be available worldwide in early 2025.

A puppet maker works with cardboard and paper to make THE HERDS puppet animals

Climate and environment

We are working with climate and environmental organisations, zoologists, re-wilding conservationists and climate activists, to inform our work from its earliest stages.

About us

THE HERDS is created by The Walk Productions, creators of the journey of Little Amal, the 12 foot high puppet of a refugee child who has journeyed through 17 countries.