Fierce Roosevelt, the Presidential rooster (c. 1910)
President Theodore Roosevelt’s family had an impressive pet collection, with at least forty pets joining the family as the children grew. Among the more traditional dogs, cats, and guinea pigs, the Roosevelts had Jonathan Edwards the bear who eventually went to the Bronx zoo. There was Bill the “horned frog” lizard., Eli Yale the macaw, Mame the pig. Joining them was Algonquin the pony, daughter Alice’s snake Emily Spinach, a badger named Josiah, and even a hyena.
And to round out the strange menagerie, the one-legged rooster pictured here. The rooster, named Fierce, frolicked with the Presidential Hens. Fierce demonstrates the Roosevelt family’s appreciation for animals of all shapes, sizes, and physical traits. President Roosevelt was a staunch conservationist who shared his love of animals with his children, teaching them empathy and responsibility, and the fun of owning a pet.
