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From Budapest to Grozny, from Moscow to Pyongyang, strongmen have long transformed wild animals into political objects, as symbols of wealth, virility, and power.
Strongmen measure power not only in gold-plated palaces and military parades, but also in exotic creatures that feel more comfortable in the Serengeti than in the barren plains of Europe.
Recent drone footage of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's family estate in Hatvanpuszta, a former Habsburg estate, sparked controversy by revealing that beyond luxurious features like a palm garden, a shrine and fountains, exotic animals, including zebras and antelopes, roamed the grounds.
The scandal erupted in early August, after opposition MP Ákos Hadházy published photographs of Orbán's unfinished estate, challenging the government's insistence that the land is simply an agricultural "majorság" owned by the prime minister's father.
Poland's Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, mocked Orbán over the footage, asking him if zebras are "traditional farm animals" in Hungary.
From Budapest to Grozny, from Moscow to Pyongyang, strongmen have long turned wild animals into political objects, as symbols of wealth, virility and power. In light of Orbán and zebras, POLITICO took a look at some of the world’s other controversial animal lovers.
-Georgian oligarch and de facto ruler Bidzina Ivanishvili resides in a neo-modernist steel-and-glass castle above Tbilisi, complete with his own shark tank. In recent years, his Georgian Dream party has drifted away from the EU and toward a more pro-Russian path.
A noted collector of exotic plants and animals, Ivanishvili had amassed an impressive personal zoo at his residence, including penguins, zebras, lemurs, a kangaroo and, yes, a shark. In a 2014 interview, he modestly described the shark as small, "only one and a half meters long."
-The former Russian satrap of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, also had a zoo at his residence with peacocks, pheasants, deer and bears. He also once had three kangaroos, but one froze to death, one ran away and the third was released in the hope that it would return, which did not happen.
But it was ostriches that made him a famous wildlife enthusiast after his first major interview after being driven out of Kiev by the Euromaidan revolution in 2014. Yanukovych said: “I supported ostriches, what’s wrong with that?”, a phrase that immediately sparked a wave of memes.
Those ostriches outlived their owner, who fled to Russia, and still roam the grounds of the Kiev mansion, which is now a public park.
-Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov is said to keep dozens of animals in his numerous palaces. Cats, hunting dogs, and the usual horses, deer, bears, and ducks wouldn't impress anyone on this list.
But his collection reportedly goes further, including a camel meat farm. And Kadyrov, also known as "Putin's attack dog," also owns a tiger, a lion and a crocodile, according to Radio Freedom.
Few people involved in the Ukraine war are more fearsome than the treacherous Kadyrov, at least when it comes to social media. Perhaps his bark is worse than his bite.
-In an emblematic gesture of authoritarian diplomacy, Russia gifted North Korea more than 70 zoo animals last year, including an African lion, two brown bears and two walruses.
The generous gift came a month after North Korea deployed troops to assist Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine.
Putin, who prefers big dogs, spoke with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on Tuesday ahead of crucial talks with the United States over the Kremlin's war on Ukraine. Zoology did not appear to be on the agenda.
-A president who largely despises pets can't resist a little "big cat" diplomacy.
During his visit to Saudi Arabia in May, US President Donald Trump received more than promises of investment: The kingdom donated a pair of rare Arabian leopards to the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Known for his indifference to animals, he has never brought a dog or cat to the White House and once tweeted how much he dislikes sharks, Trump was reportedly intrigued by leopard seals, asking the Smithsonian's director about their personalities and showing a keen interest in the species.
-Not all strong men prefer predators. In 2017, Italy's rebellious former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, posed with lambs during a vegetarian-themed Easter campaign. " Be like him. He saved five lambs from the Easter massacre!" a moving message urged television viewers.
Although much less ferocious than the animals associated with other figures on this list, this maneuver was intended to create a softer image for the extravagant media mogul-turned-politician, transforming the woolly cattle into a political PR tool./ Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "Politico"
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