In street photography, sometimes, the most memorable character to wander into the frame isn’t even human. That’s certainly true in the work of Indian street photographer Pranay Pariyar. Born and raised in Gangtok, Sikkim, Pariyar’s interest in art began with painting and sketching before photography eventually took over. He picked up his first DSLR while living in London around 2015, experimented with different subjects, and gradually found himself drawn to the spontaneity of life on the street.

These encounters fit perfectly with Pariyar’s approach to photography. He has described himself as searching for “harmony in chaos,” paying attention to the coincidences, patterns, gestures, and unexpected alignments that briefly emerge from busy everyday surroundings. Street photography already depends heavily on being in the right place at the right time, and throwing unpredictable animals into the mix only makes those moments harder to anticipate. The results range from perfectly timed and genuinely funny to surprisingly quiet and touching. Together, the images also remind us that while we tend to think of streets as human spaces, we’re far from the only characters moving through them.

Scroll down to see some of Pariyar’s funniest animal encounters caught in the ‘concrete jungle.’

More info: Instagram