Billy (pygmy hippo)
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Billy, the Pygmy Hippo, was one of the most unusual pets ever kept by a President of the United States. In addition to his fame as an exotic presidential pet, Billy is also notable as the common ancestor to most pygmy hippos in American zoos.[1]
In 1927, Harvey Firestone, the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, acquired Billy in Liberia, where Firestone Tires operated a large plant. Calvin Coolidge, who was the U.S. President at the time, was known for his collection of unusual exotic animals which included many dogs, birds, a wallaby, lion cubs, a raccoon and other unusual animals.[2] At the time, pygmy hippos were virtually unknown in the United States. Firestone gave the exotic animal to Coolidge as a gift.
In Coolidge's autobiography he wrote about the unusual menagerie he collected and stated that he donated many of these animals, including Billy, to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.[3] Pygmy hippos breed well in captivity, and as one of the earliest pygmy hippos in captivity in the U.S. zoo system, Billy went on to become the direct ancestor of nearly all pygmy hippos in American zoos. Since Billy's arrival, 58 pygmy hippos have been born at the National Zoo alone.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ National Zoo article on pygmy hippos retrieved on March 6, 2007
- ^ "Pets of Presidents, From the Dog House to the White House", The Washington Post, 2001-04-23. (in English)
- ^ Coolidge, Calvin. The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge (1929), ISBN 1410216225 or ISBN 978-1410216229
