Penguins wander empty art museum, director says they seem to prefer Caravaggio over Monet

The penguins at the Kansas City Zoo have been lonely without visitors during the coronavirus pandemic, so their human caretakers decided to take them on a field trip to the local art museum.

In a video that has quickly racked up tens of thousands of views, a family of penguins is seen wandering freely through The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo. 

“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 video’s caption reads.

Julián Zugazagoitia, the executive director and CEO of the museum, said the penguins “seemed to react much better to Caravaggio than to Monet.”

He added they spoke a little Spanish to the Peruvian penguins and they “seemed to appreciate it.”

Randy Wisthoff, the zoo’s director, said they’re always looking for ways “to stimulate” animals’ days and “enrich” their lives and without humans visiting the zoo, the penguins had been lonelier.