The Art of Animal Diplomacy

The most famous example of animal diplomacy is China's use of pandas, a practice so well-known that it has a distinct name: panda diplomacy. These rare animals, native to the mountain valleys of south-central China, now exist only in six remote, protected valleys, and have long been used as symbols of goodwill. The origins of panda diplomacy can be traced back to the seventh century, when Empress Wu Zetian—the first and only female ruler of China from the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907—sent two live pandas and seventy panda pelts to Japan. This gift, marking Wu Zetian’s ascension to the throne, was not just an act of generosity—it was a powerful statement of her authority and a strategic move to strengthen diplomatic ties.

After that, there are no recorded instances of Chinese rulers making similar gifts, and the practice only resurfaced in 1941, when the Republic of ChinaiThe Republic of China (ROC), established in 1912, governed mainland China until 1949, when the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded by the Chinese Communist Party after the civil war. Since then, the ROC has been limited to Taiwan, while the PRC governs mainland China. gifted two pandas to the United States as a token of gratitude for aiding Chinese refugees during the Second World War. The pandas were sent to the Bronx Zoo in New York, marking one of the earliest examples of modern panda diplomacy.

However, the true rise of panda diplomacy came after the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). For several years, the Chinese government gifted pandas exclusively to friendly communist countries. The first nation to receive this honor was the Soviet Union, which was presented with a furry diplomat on the fortieth anniversary of the October Revolution. This was a gesture of appreciation for being the first country to recognize the PRC, and it was only in the 1970s that China began sending pandas to Western bloc countries as part of efforts to normalize relations.

Today, however, China no longer gifts pandas outright—instead, it leases them to zoos across the globe for substantial fees, which are then used for the protection and conservation of this rare species.

Throughout history, elephants have been amongst the most prestigious diplomatic gifts exchanged between monarchs, and their use in fostering friendly relations can be traced back to at least the eighth century. In 802, Charlemagne, the founder of the Carolingian Empire (also known as the Father of Europe [Pater Europae] for uniting much of Western and Central Europe for the first time after the fall of Rome), received a remarkable gift from the Abbasid Caliphate—an elephant named Abu al-Abbas. The Abbasid Caliphate (which lasted from 750 to 1258) was a theocratic state founded by the Abbasid dynasty after overthrowing the Umayyads. Its capital, Baghdad, became a thriving center of science, culture, and learning, marking a golden age of intellectual and artistic achievement in the Islamic world.

To reach Aachen, Charlemagne’s winter residence, where he became a prized symbol of the Frankish court, the elephant undertook a long journey from India, through the caliphate, across the Mediterranean, and over the Alps. It goes without saying that such a generous gift required an equally impressive response. According to a monk chronicling the emperor’s life, Charlemagne decided to send a pack of hunting dogs of ‘extraordinary speed and ferocity’ to Baghdad in return. Harun al-Rashid, the Abbasid caliph, as recorded by the same monk, was deeply impressed: the dogs fearlessly and skillfully hunted lions, a display of strength that symbolized the greatness of their original owner, Charlemagne. The idea that a ruler’s power could be measured by the quality of his hunting dogs persisted throughout the Middle Ages. These animals were not only a testament to a monarch’s prowess in the hunt but also a reflection of his ability to instill loyalty and discipline among his subjects.

Another famous ‘diplomatic’ elephant lived in the thirteenth century at the court of King Henry III of England (reigning from 1216 to 1272), residing in the royal menagerie at the Tower of London, a fortress that became one of the key symbols of the English monarchy. At first, the elephant was not intended as a gift for Henry. It was first presented to King Louis IX of France (reigning from 1226 to 1270) as a diplomatic gift from Egypt during the Seventh Crusade (1248–1254), after Louis formed an alliance with Egypt against Syria. However, the crusade ended in failure—the crusaders were defeated in the Nile Delta and the king himself was taken captive.

Thus, in 1254, while Henry was traveling through France, the elephant was gifted to him instead. This was the first elephant seen in the British Isles since the Roman conquest of Britain in 43 CE, when Emperor Claudius brought one to Britain. The same Tower menagerie also housed a polar bear, a gift from King Haakon IV of Norway (reigning from 1217 to 1263). In Norwegian history, the polar bear has held a status comparable to the leopards and lions traditionally associated with the English crown, serving as a powerful royal symbol. Thus, the gift of a polar bear from the Norwegian monarchy carried immense diplomatic value, symbolizing not only power and prestige but also the maintenance of a crucial alliance between the two nations.

But owning an elephant wasn’t restricted to royalty—even the Pope had his own! In 1514, to commemorate the ascension of Pope Leo X of the Medici family (who was born Giovanni Medici and was the 217th pope from 1513 to 1521) to the Holy See, King Manuel I of Portugal (reigning from 1495 to 1521) gifted him a white elephant, a creature considered in medieval times to be a symbol of power and wealth. The elephant, named Hanno, became the Pope’s beloved companion.

However, Hanno’s life was short—he died in 1516 from complications after receiving a treatment for constipation that, oddly enough, contained gold. Heartbroken, Leo X himself composed an epitaph for his cherished elephant. His tomb, designed by the renowned Raphael, is lost to the ravages of time, but his story remains one of the most famous examples of animal diplomacy.

Interestingly, around the same time, Pope Leo X nearly received an even more extraordinary gift—a rhinoceros! King Manuel I had planned to give him a rhinoceros, named Ganda, an animal so rare in Europe that it caused a sensation. Originally, Ganda was a gift to King Manuel from the ruler of a small principality in western India. He arrived in Lisbon in 1515 and was the first rhinoceros seen in Europe since the third century CE, well over a thousand years later. Until then, rhinoceroses had been so rare that they were often thought to be mythical creatures, sometimes even mistaken for unicorns. Ganda’s arrival sparked widespread excitement and curiosity, and he was put on public display, drawing huge crowds. Hoping to impress the pope and secure his favor, King Manuel sent Ganda to Rome. However, the ship transporting the rhinoceros sank before reaching its destination.

However, Ganda’s legacy lived on. The rhinoceros became legendary thanks to a famous engraving by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. Dürer never saw the animal with his own eyes; instead he relied on eyewitness accounts and sketches sent from Lisbon to create his engraving. Despite its anatomical inaccuracies, this engraving was considered the definitive depiction of a rhinoceros in Europe until the late eighteenth century, shaping how Europeans imagined rhinoceroses long before they saw one again in real life.

The tradition of gifting elephants as diplomatic presents continued into the twentieth century. One of the most famous examples was the baby elephant Jayathu (meaning ‘victory’ in Sanskrit), presented to President Ronald Reagan by the president of Sri Lanka during a state visit in 1983. Interestingly, Jayathu symbolized not only the friendship between the two leaders but also their respective political parties—the elephant was the emblem of both Sri Lanka’s United National Party, which was in power at the time, and the Republican Party of the United States, to which Reagan belonged.

Over the years, animal diplomacy has not been restricted to only elephants, pandas, or rhinoceroses—dogs have long been an important tool of diplomatic communication. One of the most famous examples from the twentieth century is Pushinka, a dog gifted by Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev to President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Pushinka was no ordinary dog—she was the daughter of Strelka, one of the Soviet space dogs that traveled aboard Sputnik 5. By sending Pushinka as a gift, the USSR made a subtle but powerful statement, reminding the US of its technological prowess during the tense days of the Space Race.

Today, Turkmenistan has become one of the most prominent nations to actively use dogs to strengthen diplomatic ties. The government frequently gifts Alabai puppies, an ancient breed native to Central Asia, as a symbol of strength, loyalty, and cultural heritage. The presidents of both Russia and South Korea have received these symbolic gifts. In 2023, during a meeting between Turkmen president Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the two leaders exchanged puppies—Turkmenistan presented an Alabai, while Turkey gifted a Kangal, also known as the Anatolian Shepherd.

The most famous giraffe to be given as a diplomatic gift was the one presented by Mamluk sultan Qaitbay of Egypt (1468–1496) to Lorenzo de’ Medici, the head of the Florentine Republic, in November 1487. This gift helped Florence establish direct trade relations with Egypt, bypassing Venice, while Egypt secured Florence’s support in its rivalry with the Ottoman Empire.

This giraffe is believed to have been the first seen in Italy since ancient Rome, when Julius Caesar had one in his private menagerie, which may have been a gift from his lover, Cleopatra. The Romans called the animal a ‘camelopard’ (Latin: camelopardalis), believing it combined the traits of a camel and a leopard. According to legend, Caesar later had his giraffe devoured by lions as a display of his dominance and absolute authority. Thus, by acquiring his own giraffe, de’ Medici was emulating Julius Caesar, viewing the animal as a means to reinforce his power and social status.

There is also evidence that de’ Medici strategically used his exotic giraffe as a symbol of his power and influence in diplomatic dealings. One notable example of this was his plan to gift the giraffe to Anne of France (Anne de Beaujeu), the regent for her young brother, King Charles VIII. Anne had shown interest in receiving the giraffe in exchange for Florence’s protection. However, this plan was never realized as the giraffe died in 1488 from an unfortunate accident—it broke its neck. After its death, giraffes would not be seen in Europe for another 300 years.

The Medici giraffe became the most famous of its kind, immortalized by great artists, but giraffes had been used for diplomatic purposes much earlier, especially by Asian rulers. In 1414, even before a giraffe arrived in Florence, one was brought to Beijing in 1414 as a gift from Bengal to the Ming dynasty Yongle Emperor (reigning from 1402 to 1424), whose personal name was Zhu Di. There are differing accounts of its origins: one suggests the giraffe was transported from Malindi, a city on the Kenyan coast, while another credits the Swahili people, with the gift being delivered by the renowned traveler Zhu Le. When the Chinese saw the giraffe, they mistook it for a qilin, a mythical creature that was believed to appear during prosperous reigns. Zhu Di interpreted this as a divine omen, affirming the legitimacy and stability of his rule.

Giraffes were also used as diplomatic gifts in Central Asia. In the 1260s, Berke, the khan of the Golden HordeiBerke was the grandson of Chinggis Khan and was khan of the Golden Horde from 1257 to 1266., received gifts from the Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, Baybars I (reigning from 1260 to 1277). Among these gifts were monkeys, parrots, female camels, horses, precious jewels, and a giraffe. It was during this period that relations between the Golden Horde and Egypt were established, facilitated in part by Berke’s conversion to Islam. Actively engaged in international politics, Baybars I saw Berke as a valuable ally against Iran and spared no expense in offering him lavish gifts.

In 1404, another Egyptian giraffe was delivered to Samarkand as a gift from Sultan An-Nasir Faraj (who ruled from 1399 to 1412) to Amir TimuriTimur: The Battle for His Heritage, whose empire spanned vast regions of the Muslim world. Records of this gift survive in the memoirs of Castilian envoys, who traveled at the same time to establish ties with Timur. Passing through Persia and Azerbaijan, they accidentally encountered the Egyptian delegation and thus saw the giraffe.

When all the envoys reached Samarkand, where Timur received them, the giraffe caused quite a stir. According to the Castilians, the people of Samarkand were astonished by the sight of the giraffe, which was paraded through the city under guard so that everyone could admire it. However, today, giraffes are no longer used as diplomatic gifts.

Horses are still widely used as diplomatic gifts, with Mongolia being particularly well-known for this practice. Since the 2000s, several horses have been presented to American politicians of various ranks, including Joe Biden, who in 2011 became the first US vice president to visit Mongolia since 1944. However, such gifts rarely receive extensive media coverage today.

One of the most famous examples of a horse serving as a diplomatic gift was sent to America in the twentieth century. It was a thoroughbred stallion, presented to Jacqueline Kennedy, the first lady of the United States, by the president of Pakistan during her visit to the country in 1962. Jacqueline became deeply attached to the thoroughbred, which she named Sardar. It is believed that Sardar remained with her until her death.

The tradition of gifting horses to establish friendly relations dates back thousands of years. Napoleon’s favorite horse, an Arabian stallion named Vizir (the horse’s name was Le Vizir in French, with the definite article ‘le’ emphasizing the horse’s exceptional status and high rank), was one such gift. The stallion was given to the French emperor by Ottoman Sultan Selim III (reigning from 1789 to 1807), and from 1805 onward, Napoleon almost exclusively rode him, even bringing him along to Saint Helena, where he was exiled.

Even one of the sires of modern thoroughbred horses, the Godolphin Arabian, also known as the Godolphin Barb, who lived in the eighteenth century, was a diplomatic gift. In 1729, the stallion ended up in the hands of the Prince of Monaco, who gifted him to King Louis XIV of France. However, the French king did not fully appreciate the horse’s value and merely used him as a carriage horse. Later, Edward Coke, a member of the British Parliament, purchased the Godolphin Arabian. Upon Coke’s death in 1733, the horse was inherited by another owner and was eventually acquired from the latter by aristocrat Francis Godolphin, from whom he took his name.

There are several theories about the horse’s origin. One suggests he came from Tunisia, classifying him as a Barb horse. Another claim was that he was of Turkmen origin but was labeled an Arabian stallion to increase his market value.

Horses played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations with neighboring states and within the Timurid Empire, particularly with the Ming dynasty of China. Historical sources from both sides confirm numerous diplomatic exchanges: Chinese missions reached Samarkand, Herat, and Shiraz, while Timurid envoys traveled through the oasis cities of Central Asia to the imperial courts of Nanjing and Beijing.

One of the most striking aspects of these exchanges was the gift of precious animals, which were an essential part of diplomatic offerings. Both courts were passionate about collecting exotic animals for their imperial gardens. For example, prized Persian horses were considered prestigious gifts for the Chinese court, while the Chinese emperor Zhu Di sent hawks as a gesture of friendship to Sultan Shahrukh (reigning from 1409 to 1447), ruler of the Timurid Empire and the youngest son of Timur.

And even in the twenty-first century, animal diplomacy remains a powerful tool for alliances. During the official visit of French president Emmanuel Macron to Astana in November 2023, Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev presented him with two puppies of the rare Kazakh breed Tazy, also known as the Kazakh Greyhound. Since then, these dogs, named Jules and Jeanne, have become not only beloved pets of the Macron family but also a symbol of Kazakh-French friendship. During the visit of the president of Kazakhstan to the French Republic in November 2024, they accompanied him on a walk through the garden of the Élysée Palace.

Thus, history has shown us how over millenia, using animals as diplomatic gifts has shone a spotlight on the deep cultural significance these creatures held across various empires. Whether it was prized pandas, dogs, or rare species like giraffes, these animals were not only symbols of power and wealth but also tangible expressions of political alliances and friendship that lasted years.