This is the moment a trio of cute penguins take a stroll around a deserted museum and appear to take in some art during a field trip from a local zoo.
The unusual trip took place at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City in the American state of Missouri where the special visitors were taken from their home at the Kansas City Zoo.
The three Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) were taken to the museum which is empty because of coronavirus lockdown and the museum’s director Julian Zugazagoitia said they were seeing how the animals “are reacting to art”.
In the clip which has gone viral, the penguins can be seen strolling around the museum and stopping in front of some of the pieces.
The CEO of Kansas City Zoo, Randy Wisthoff, added: “During this shutdown period our animals really miss having visitors come out and see them.”
Zugazagoitia said the penguins seem to react “much better” to Italian painter Caravaggio than to French impressionist Monet, and he joked that he had spoken to the penguins in Spanish because they are native to Peru.
The museum director said the animals “really appreciate art history” and zoo CEO Wisthoff added that the penguins “absolutely loved” their trip.
The video has now reached over 1 million views on social media and it was uploaded with the caption: “Quarantine has caused everyone to go a little stir crazy, even the residents of the Kansas City Zoo. So several of the penguins decided to go on a field trip to the Nelson-Atkins, which is still closed, to get a little culture.”
The Humboldt penguin’s habitat comprises most of coastal Chile and Peru. The species is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because of a declining population caused in part by over-fishing, climate change, and ocean acidification.
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Story By: Alex Cope, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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