Stubbs the cat, who was known as the four-legged honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, in the United States for approximately 20 years, is one of the most internet-popular fluffy officials. - Photo by: Jenni Konrad, CC BY-SA 2.0
HAVE you ever scrolled on social media, stumbled across an adorable animal video and jokingly thought to yourself, "Yeah, I wouldn't mind if this was my elected representative?"
Well, you are most definitely not alone on that thought! It begs the question, can an animal run for office?
VERDICT:
TRUE (But probably not just yet in Malaysia)
In several countries, non-human electoral candidates are typically nominated as a form of protest or for entertainment value.
In most cases, candidates are required to have a legible signature, be of legal age, and be human.
However, there have been some instances where animals were permitted and subsequently elected to office after winning the popular vote.
These paw-liticians are usually limited to certain duties, most important would be public appearances, however, some countries have found a way to make it work.
Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, is a small American town that has only had dog mayors for the last twenty years.
According to Insider, RH is not an official town and only has approximately 500 residents, making it unnecessary to have a human mayor.
It is said by the Cincinnati Enquirer that the current mayor in office is Wilbur, a French Bulldog who was elected in 2020.
Wilbur has been participating in town events, done a substantial amount of interviews and continues to make his people smile by stopping for pets and belly rubs.
According to an article from ABC News, Mayor Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II, is a golden retriever who has been the mayor of Idyllwild, California since 2014.
He succeeded Mayor Max I, who was elected when he was just over 11 years old and passed away a year later.
Mayor Maximus II was elected into office at just 11 weeks old and has been on a mission for peace ever since.
He, along with his deputy mayors, attend local events, visit hospitals to serve up smiles to the sick and make house calls to the needy.
During his third election, Mayor Max II was elected mayor for life.
Stubbs the cat, who was known as the four-legged honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska for approximately 20 years, is one of the most internet-popular fluffy officials.
It was later revealed that a local journalist made up the story about the kitty, who’s main office is in the town’s general store, to boost tourism and attract visitors.
This publicity stunt ultimately worked as hordes of travelers eagerly came to meet Stubbs and bought various merchandise of his.
According to CNN, in 2015, Stubbs, whose name was inspired from him not having a tail, began to retreat from the public as he aged and later passed on two years later.
So what do you guys think? Could Malaysia do with our very own oyen elected official?
SOURCES:
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/french-bulldog-named-wilbur-elected-mayor-rabbit-hash-kentucky-n1246569
www.cincinnati.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/01/01/rabbit-hash-mayors-through-years/3 812422001/
abcnews.go.com/US/southern-california-city-elects-pawlitician-life/story?id=63566048
edition.cnn.com/2017/07/23/us/mayor-cat-stubbs-dies-at-20/index.html
