Rebecca was a raccoon kept as a pet by US president Calvin Coolidge and his wife Grace Coolidge.
Rebecca came from Mississippi. She had been sent to the White House to be served for the 1926 Thanksgiving dinner, but the Coolidges decided to keep her as a pet instead.
She was fed shrimp and persimmons, and eggs were a favorite; she was let loose in the White House, and walked on a leash outdoors.
As First Lady Grace wrote:
- "We had a house made for her in one of the large trees, with a wire fence built around it for protection. We kept her chained when out of doors, but in the house she had her liberty. She was a mischievous, inquisitive party and we had to keep watch of her when she was in the house. She enjoyed nothing better than being placed in a bathtub with a little water in it and given a cake of soap with which to play. In this fashion she would amuse herself for an hour or more."
When the Coolidges took a vacation in the Black Hills, they brought Rebecca along in a basket, together with two of their dogs. The Coolidges eventually donated Rebecca to the zoological quarters in Rock Creek Park (now the National Zoo) in Washington DC. Reuben, a male racoon was acquired as a companion for Rebecca, but he soon escaped and was never recovered.
Video Rebecca (raccoon)
See also
- United States presidential pets
Maps Rebecca (raccoon)
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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