Humans aren’t the only ones experiencing cabin fever during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Kansas City Zoo in Missouri has been closed to the public for weeks, and the animals are getting a little restless. With no visitors to break up their days, staff members arranged for three curious penguins to take a field trip to a local art museum for a bit of culture!
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Randy Wisthoff, the zoo’s executive director, said when Humboldt penguins Bubbles, Maggie, and Berkley started acting bored, their caretakers began brainstorming how they could give them a change of scenery.
“We’re always looking for ways to enrich their lives and stimulate their days,” he explained. “During this shutdown period, our animals really miss visitors coming up to see them.”
So they set up a special penguin tour of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for “a morning of fine art and culture.” The resulting video is just plain adorable!
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“Humboldt penguins in human care can live well into their 30s. In the wild, Humboldt penguins are facing habitat loss and suffering from overfishing, which depletes their food sources,” a zoo spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, our penguins can’t speak for themselves, but we think they found the experience at the museum very enriching!”
Julián Zugazagoitia, the museum’s executive director, was convinced that the birds, which are native to Peru and Chile, were especially appreciative when he spoke to them in Spanish.
He also suspects they have preferences when it comes to art. “They seemed definitely to react much better to Caravaggio than to Monet,” he said with a smile.
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What a great way to keep these penguins active and bring smiles to people around the world. They just look so dang cute!
Check out the penguin field trip in the video, and don’t forget to share the fun with a friend. For more stories of joy and hope, check out the Coronavirus Good News Dashboard.
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