The 10 Weirdest Presidential Pets
When you think of a president’s pet, it’s likely that a dog or cat will pop into your mind, but how about an alligator or a tiger? What if I told you that those two don’t even scratch the surface of odd pets our past presidents kept? In honor of President’s Day this week, here are 10 of the weirdest presidential pets as documented by Presidential Pet Museum:
1) Alligator – John Quincy Adams was given an alligator as a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, which he kept in a White House bathroom. If it wasn’t crazy enough to believe that one president had an alligator as a pet, Herbert Hoover’s son, Alan, had two alligators that often wandered around on the White House grounds! I wouldn’t want to get anywhere near one of these prehistoric predators, let alone live with one!
2) Hyena – It definitely isn’t a stretch of the imagination to call Theodore Roosevelt a zookeeper — among the many animals he kept as pets (many of which were exotic), he owned a hyena.
3) Lion – Calvin Coolage, who also had many different and exotic pets, was given two lion cubs by foreign dignitaries. Not to be beaten, however, Theodore Roosevelt had a lion as well! Would you want this beast in your living room?
4) Tiger – Martin Van Buren had a pair of tiger cubs that were given to him as gifts from the Sultan of Oman, but he didn’t get to keep them long before Congress made him send them to a zoo.
5) Bear – Thomas Jefferson was given two grizzly bear cubs by Captain Zebulon Pike and kept them for a few months before sending them to Peale’s Museum. Of course, the two animal-oriented presidents Calvin Coolage and Theodore Roosevelt had pet bears as well!
6) Coyote – Yes, Theodore Roosevelt also had a pet coyote. I’m seriously beginning to wonder where he was able to get all of these animals and how he was able to take care of them!
7) Bald Eagle – James Buchanan had not only one, but two bald eagles! How very patriotic of him!
8) Opossum – Benjamin Harrison had two opossums, which he named Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection. Though opossums may not seem like the weirdest pet to have, as some try to keep and raise them, the Opossum Society of the United States stresses that these are wild animals that belong outside on their own.
9) Zebra – Incredibly, Theodore Roosevelt managed to get a zebra as well. Even more incredible, though, is the number of pets he had that I haven’t mentioned! Some of these include a badger, a wildcat, a barn owl, and a raccoon!
10) Pygmy Hippo –Calvin Coolage was given a pygmy hippo by Harvey Samuel Firestone as a gift. Fortunately, Billy never spent time inside the White House as Coolage gave him to the National Zoo, where he lived until his death in 1955. Even if they aren’t suitable as pets, you have to admit these hippos are pretty cute!
Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolage are the clear winners for having the highest number of weird pets. It’s a contest I’m not sure I’d really want to win – I’ll stick with my dogs, cats, and bunny, thank you very much! If you’re curious about the other crazy pets these two presidents had, check out Roosevelt’s bio here and Coolage’s bio here!
What’s the weirdest pet you’ve ever heard of, presidential or otherwise? Let us know in the comments below!