There are several stories written about music taming the savage beast, but this is no fairy tale. A video shows a small pride of lions in an enclosure listening to the acoustic guitar and soothing singing of a French singer-songwriter covering Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain.” One would think that the animals would be annoyed by the music or simply ignore it. Instead, something heartwarming happened.
One by one, the lions approached the musician known as Plumes as he performed. They calmly lay down and started yawn-singing to the tunes while nuzzling one another, with two lions cuddling less than a yard from where Plumes sat and played on the other side of the fence. The lions were relaxing and enjoying the concert, and some even seemed ready for a nap, showing off the gentler side of the predatory wild cats.
People remarked upon the lions’ reaction to Plumes’ tunes:
“Wow! That is truly an incredible interaction with them. They really enjoyed your singing to them.”
“Omg, the way they cuddle.”
“What a beautiful interaction to witness.”
“Music is the universal language!”
“That was so magical! Music speaks to the soul. Human, animal, all relate to the feelings music evokes.”
This wasn’t his first animal concert
This isn’t the only time Plumes has performed for an animal audience. In fact, his social media and YouTube channel show videos of multiple concerts for humans and creatures alike. He has played guitar and sung for lions, tigers and bears, along with many other animals at wildlife sanctuaries and zoos.
It all started with some cows
While Plumes performs his music for a wide variety of animals today, he started at home, playing for a herd of cows in the French countryside while living with his grandmother.
“I read somewhere that cows like music, that it’s soothing to them,” Plumes shared with AMFM Magazine. “They were super receptive. They gathered around, some even rubbed against me. It was magical.”
Since then, Plumes had been taking the opportunity to warm up his vocal cords and provide various animals a free mini-concert throughout his tours and travels, recording video of their reactions to his music.
“Animals inspire me to be kinder, more patient,” he added. “They remind us to reconnect with nature. Maybe we’ve lost touch with nature, and these videos help people feel that connection again.”
The science backs this up too
Understandably, most people believe music and music appreciation are uniquely human traits, but there are studies suggesting that music isn’t exclusively for Homo sapiens’ enjoyment. Some studies show different species reacting positively to music in different ways. Chimpanzees have been observed swaying to classical music, dogs in rehoming centers showed calmer behavior when classical music was played, and a sea lion named Ronan was able to bob her head in time with a beat, just to name a few. Some veterinarians also suggest creating a music playlist for your dog to play when you leave the house to help ease separation anxiety.
It’s interesting to see how music impacts different animals in different ways, especially if music helps them. Over time, who knows how much music will bring man and animal closer together. If a lion can enjoy Guns N’ Roses, the possibilities are nearly endless.
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.
