Theodore Roosevelt, who was born 157 years ago today, provided WCS with the gifts of great moral and political support in the organization’s early years.  It was Roosevelt who appointed the committee of Boone and Crockett Club members who eventually founded the New York Zoological Society.  Roosevelt also endorsed the formation of the American Bison Society and served as its first honorary president.  And he spoke out in support of Bronx Zoo Director William T. Hornaday’s (in the end unsuccessful) 1915 campaign to increase wildlife sanctuaries in national forests. 

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William T. Hornaday, acknowledging Hornaday’s gratitude to Roosevelt for making a speech in support of his national preserve plan, January 19, 1915. WCS Archives Collection 1007

Then there were the more unusual gifts that Roosevelt gave to WCS.  As we discussed last month on this blog, one of these was a small bear named Jonathan Edwards.  In fact, Jonathan Edwards was only one of a slew of animals Roosevelt gave to the Bronx Zoo; among the others were two duikers, a bird described as a red-billed hill-tit, a South American giant tortoise, and additional animals from his 1914 South American expedition.  But in 1903, two years into his presidency, Roosevelt sent a more commonplace animal the Zoo’s way:

William Loeb Jr. to William Hornaday, September 21, 1903. WCS Archives Collection 1001

William Hornaday to Raymond Ditmars, September 26, 1903. WCS Archives Collection 1001

Josiah, as the badger was known, was a beloved Roosevelt family pet, and he roamed the White House among the Roosevelts’ many other animals.  As a Wichita Eagle article on Josiah’s history reports, young Ethel Roosevelt wrote in her diary of how Josiah was

always amusing us with his antics, like shredding the furniture with his sharp little claws, or chasing the gardener up a tree. Father just throws his head back and laughs his booming laugh.

At some point, though, Josiah’s furniture-shredding and people-chasing became less hilarious, and–as one might expect with a badger kept as a pet–Josiah became increasingly ornery. Although this letter indicates that he would only be staying the winter (and although he was still beloved enough to be sent by special train), Josiah ended up living out the rest of his days at the Bronx Zoo.

So, if you’re thinking of a gift to celebrate Teddy Roosevelt’s birthday, there’s at least one that we do not recommend!