Animals That Rule

By: Annabelle Maria Jeffrey & Samantha Pereira 

We all know how boring government elections are, from snooze-filled speeches and extravagant promises to some of the most amusing campaigns. The whole fiasco sometimes appears like it’s straight out of a circus, which also means having animals run for president isn’t such a bad idea. Well, in case, you don’t already know there have been animals that have actually won elections (some even with a landslide victory). Read on to find out the chosen few:

STUBBS THE CAT

Stubbs is Talkeetna’s (a town in Alaska, US) mayor who’s been ‘governing’ for 16 years. The cat – a half-manx species – was elected by residents of Talkeetna because they were unhappy with the candidates running for elections. Though it started as a joke, Stubbs eventually took on duties like meeting and greeting tourists, familiarizing with the town’s residents and the occasional rat hunting.  Like every government official, Stubbs has encountered a few perilous encounters, some of which included getting shot in rear, falling into frying oil and even being mauled by a dog.

BOSCO DOG

In second place to longest-running Mayor Stubbs, Bosco Ramos – a Labrador-Rottweiler mix – had been mayor of Sunol (a town in California, US) for 13 years. Also, stemmed from a prank, Bosco beat two other human opponents (and by a landslide) to not only become Sunol’s mayor but the town’s mascot too. Among his many official duties like leading annual parades, and overseeing the town’s events and function, Bosco was often seen getting chummy with patrons of numerous waterholes dotted around the town.

CLAY HENRY I THE GOAT

Clay Henry I is the first goat to be the mayor of Lajitas, Texas, and this started with the 1980 election, which had Clay Henry I defeat a wooden Native American figurine and a local ranch dog called Buster. Winning by a landslide, Clay Henry I continued to win over residents’ heart with every election till he passed away while fighting with his son, Clay Henry II over a female goat. Presently, his successor, Clay Henry III has steered away from mayor duties to take on a more mascot role and helping to boost tourism by allowing tourists to feed him beer.

TIAO THE CHIMPANZEE

Famed for his bad temper, Tiao was elected by the Brazilian Banana Party (a group of comedians) to run for mayor in the 1988 Rio De Janeiro election, largely to spite the unskilled candidates that were vying for the role. This angsty monkey ran with the slogan “Vote Monkey, Get Monkey” which was actually picked to complement his voracious temper. Earning third place in the election, Brazilians voted for Tiao – even with his notorious acts of throwing dirt and spitting – because they wanted to annoy the other candidates that were outright lying to them.