Shanthi [Sings] the Blues

I just discovered, on the National Zoo’s website, a video of Shanthi, the 36-year-old female elephant, playing the harmonica. Apparently she’s musically inclined and will play percussion with found objects, so the zookeepers presented her with other music-makers, like horns and harmonicas, and, just for fun, she composes and plays music.

This is maybe one of the coolest things that I personally have ever learned about zoo animals, and it also made me long to see (and hear) a whole elephant orchestra. Ask yourself: what would ever be more fun than that?

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