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Using trophy animals as power symbols didn’t start with Tiger King. According to Mammoth author Chris Flynn, the American obsession dates back to the 1700s
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Barack Obama had two Portuguese water dogs, Bo and Sunny. George W Bush had scottish terriers named Barney and Miss Beazley. Bill Clinton had a cat called Socks. John F Kennedy doted on his canary, Robin.
US presidents have always had domestic animals at the White House, although the farther back we delve, the more ferocious the menagerie tends to be, particularly where Republican presidents are concerned. Calvin Coolidge owned a hippopotamus and two lions named Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau. John Quincy Adams is said to have kept an alligator in a bathroom. He supposedly found it amusing to surprise guests by sending them in there to conduct their business, presumably causing them to do so prior to removing their pantaloons. Continue reading...