I’m sure you’ve heard of animals who have accomplished amazing feats. The dog who saved a young boy from falling off a roof by barking loud enough that it attracted neighbors; the monkey who retrieved a gun from an intruder’s pants and thereby saved a resident from being shot; the macaw who can “sing” songs in three languages… the list goes on and on. Yes, there’s no question—animals are amazing creatures.
With that said I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when I heard about the Pittsburg sea lion that paints on command. If you are an artist, and are lacking inspiration for your next piece, I highly recommend visiting Maggie—the 11-year-old painting sea lion who resides at the Pittsburg Zoo. Thanks to her trainer (who has been teaching Maggie to paint since last year), the zoo is covered with colorful masterpieces.
“It’s, in a way, enriching,” Maggie’s trainer told local reporters. “Sea lions are very smart animals, and painting keeps their minds active.”
Maggie’s trainer told reporters it took three months to get the animal to hold a paint brush and touch the bristles to paper. But, according to reports, after she got the hang of it, Maggie to to it like a fish to water. Speaking of fish, the finned swimmers are exactly what Maggie gets to munch on each time she finishes a stroke. Maggie’s trainer says the paintings are done one stroke at a time and each time the animal completes a stroke she is rewarded with a fish.
Since sea lions are colorblind Maggie’s trainer picks the colors and puts the paint on the brush—from there it is all Maggie. As for the results, Maggie’s trainer says the sea lion tends to put more paint on the right side of the canvas than the left. I call it free art.