Denver Zoo Rhino Celebrates Birthday By Playing Himself a Song on the Piano with His Lips

Bandhu, a greater one-horned rhino at the Denver Zoo, plays the piano with his lips and enjoys coming up with original music for his caretakers

Take a seat, Keyboard Cat. There a new animal stepping up to the Casio.

The Denver Zoo recently shared a video of one of their talented residents on his birthday. Bandhu, a male greater one-horned rhino, turned 12 on May 18. To mark the occasion, the massive animal decided to tickle the ivories ... with his upper lip.

As part of his birthday celebration, Bandhu's caretakers gave the rhino some time with a keyboard. The animal took to the little instrument quickly, banging on the keys with his prehensile lip to create a Bandhu original.

"It might be his birthday, but Bandhu wanted to treat you all to a special song he wrote all by himself. Using his prehensile lip to compose a tune is just one of the many ways we can use enrichment to mentally and physically stimulate the birthday boy," the Denver Zoo posted on Instagram May 18, along with a video of the rhino playing new music on the piano.

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Dozens of animal lovers commented on the clip, with many pointing out the quality of Bandhu's craft.

"This song slaps — I would buy it on iTunes," one fan commented.

"Best song ever!" another chimed in.

Fans of Bandhu can see the rhino in person at Denver Zoo's Toyota Elephant Passage.

The Denver Zoo shared in a statement that Bandhu, which means "friend" in Sanskrit, "is rewarded for participating in this type of enrichment."

"We're just trying to get him to use that prehensile lip and enjoy some tactile and auditory sensations that he doesn't get every day," the facility added.