A dinosaur that children can walk on a lead, a bull elephant and a black rhino are among the spectacles at Malmesbury’s makeshift zoo, created by graffiti artist Luke Hollingworth.

Families have been flocking to see the transformation of the former Burnham House Care Home, after Mr Hollingworth, working under the name of ‘Syd’ spray painted on images of endangered and safari animals.

Mr Hollingworth, 37, from Malmesbury, said: “It all sort of evolved really. I got wind of the fact that it (the care home building) was a temporary thing and was going to be knocked down and every spray paint artist needs a wall to practice on.

“As a 30-something-year-old artist and a father-of-one, I also didn’t want to get myself in to any trouble.”

A giraffe poking its head through the boarded up windows to munch on the Virginia creeper and a penguin are among the other works of art attracting local people to the area.

Mr Hollingworth sells pieces of his work on www.thestencilshed.co.uk