Miniature pigs delight in playing mini piano at Victoria children's farm
Although the Little Pink Piano couldn’t be further from Carnegie Hall, one wonders if the anticipation of its upcoming concert at the Beacon Hill Children’s Farm feels just as momentous.
"They have discovered music," Claudia Laube smiles, playing random notes on the toy instrument. "They love to play."
And when the farm manager says "they," she’s referring to a trio of miniature pigs.
(CTV News)"There’s Poppy. There’s Petunia," Claudia says, as each black and white pig snorts and wags their tail in recognition. "And there’s Punk, because not everyone can be a flower."
And while not every piano can be a Steinway, the Little Pink Piano has never stopped striving for excellence.
"A little girl donated her piano to us," Claudia recalls.
The Little Pink Piano’s first player no doubt set high standards for performance before graciously offering her instrument to an aspiring band of chickens.
"It’s animal enrichment," Claudia explains, before carrying the Little Pink Piano over to an eclectic flock of birds. "Something to make it more interesting for the chickens to play."
Although the chickens spent the past few years attempting to impress the public by appearing for every performance dressed in dynamic feathered stage costumes, no one ever seemed to come close to rivalling the musical talents of a Liberace or Elton John.
"They’re not as musical in my opinion," Claudia says, as the colourful chickens peck at the black and white keys, but rarely make a sound.
So Claudia decided to pair the Little Pink Piano with players who had more potential.
"Pigs are some of the smartest animals," Claudia says.
Pigs regularly rank in the top five on lists of world’s smartest animals, and are said to have the intelligence of a three-year-old human, and are more trainable than dogs.
Also, the first time she played the Little Pink Piano, Punk the pig performed way more notes than a whole flock of chickens.
"They put their little noses on it," Claudia says, showing me video of the piglets’ first performance. "They seem to like the idea that it makes sounds."
As Poppy, Petunia and Punk have grown into teenagers, the sisters’ musical tastes have evolved with them.
"It’s freestyle I would say," Claudia laughs, as the pigs pound on the keys with gusto.
While the pigs’ performance is certainly more Rock than Rachmaninov, the little piano seems to be tickled pink.
"I think the piano is happy to be played," Claudia smiles. "Happy being an active part of the farm."
Because no matter which animal is performing the soundtrack to smiles, the Little Pink Piano ensures they’re hitting all the right notes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.