When British musician Paul Barton performs in central Thailand lately, the listeners react wildly. Some pull his hair or jump on his piano. Others steal his music. The behavior is normal, however, because these crowds are truly wild—wild monkeys to be exact.
Barton plays often to the animals in Lopburi, an area known for its populations of wild monkeys. The pianist hopes the music shows bring calm to the animals during the corona virus (COVID-19) crisis.
The disease has caused problems for the monkeys, too. They are hungry. The restrictions on tourism mean fewer people come to see the monkeys and feed them.
The monkeys quickly surround Barton when he plays Greensleeves, Beethoven's Fur Elise and Michael Nyman's Diary of Love. Some of the creatures sit on his chair, while others climb up his body and touch his head. But, Barton keeps his attention on his performance, even as a small monkey runs over his hands on the instrument. Other monkeys take control of his music papers. "I was glad and surprised to find that they were actually eating the music as I was playing it."
The monkeys are Barton's latest animal fans. Past wildlife audience included elephants living in special protected areas. Barton hopes to raise people's awareness of the monkeys' hunger. At the same time, he hopes to study their behavior as they react to classical music.
"Come together and don't let the pandemic stop the wild monkeys getting good nutritious food. We need to make an effort to make sure that they eat properly. And when they eat properly they will be calmer," said 59 -year-old Barton.
