The coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us in many different ways, and even our furry, feathered, and scaly friends have been affected by the outbreak too!
There haven’t been many proven cases of animals actually catching the virus, but their lives have changed since zoos and animal parks have had to shut down and animals of all different species haven’t been getting the same sort of social interaction they’re used to.
Well, some zoo workers over in Missouri decided on a rather unique way to keep their penguins entertained during these difficult times: they took them to an art museum!
The Kansas City Zoo, like many other zoos all over the world, has been closed to the public since the outbreak started to get serious and lockdowns were put in place.
The penguins at the zoo seem to enjoy having humans come and see them each day, so they’ve been missing out on all that attention and stimulation since the zoo’s gates were closed.
In order to keep their days different and fun, the penguin’s caretakers decided to take them on a field trip. Zoo director and CEO, Randy Wisthoff, explains:
Taking care of the wild animals at the Kansas City Zoo, we’re always looking for ways to enrich their lives and stimulate their days. And during this shutdown period, our animals really miss having visitors come out and see them.
So, the penguins turned up at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.
Established back in 1933, the museum is known for its enormous, diverse collection, including works from almost every continent and a wide range of art from Asian countries, in particular.
Like the Kansas City Zoo, it’s also closed to the public for now, but decided to organize a special opening for these flightless birds, and the museum’s director, Julián Zugazagoitia, said he was “so happy” to welcome the zoo workers and their “special friends”.
The penguins were pretty much allowed to roam around the museum however they liked, with workers from the zoo and museum watching on to see what they did and whether or not they took the time to admire any of the paintings on display.
Zugazagoitia joked that the penguins seemed to prefer the works of Caravaggio over those of Monet, adding that the workers spoke a little Spanish to the penguins while guiding them around, since they originally came from Peru.
A clip of the penguins wandering around the museum and checking out the art was uploaded to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art’s Facebook page, where it quickly went viral with over a million views, along with thousands of comments, likes, and shares.
Check it out for yourself down below and watch the funny little guys soaking up a little culture while they wait for the zoo to re-open.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Quarantine has caused everyone to go a little stir crazy, even the residents of the Kansas City Zoo. So several of the…
Posted by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on Thursday, 14 May 2020
