Animal Mascots.

[lynx42]

There are stories of Black Panthers and other animals brought to Australia during WWII by American soldiers as Regimental Mascots. These were sometimes released into the wild when the troops moved north or went home.

What information is there out there of the animal Regimental Mascots from around the world during all conflicts?

I'll start it off with "Shake" the Kangaroo from WWI.



This little fellow was taken to Egypt by the Australian 9th and 10th Battalions and was at Mena Camp, near the Pyramids. Many Australian units brought kangaroos and other Australian animals with them to Egypt, and some were given to the Cairo Zoological Gardens when the units went to Gallipoli in April 1915.



This image was taken in mid-December 1914 at Mena Camp, beside the Giza Pyramids, 10 miles outside Cairo. The 10th Battalion (South Australian) Infantry of the 3rd Brigade, Australian Imperial Force, which had just arrived in Egypt on His Majesty's Australian Troop "Saldanha", having left Adelaide on October 21 1914. The battalion soon began preparing for the disastrous Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) assault on Gallipoli in the Dardanelles, Turkey, Ottoman Empire. One of the South Australian soldiers took a kangaroo with him to Egypt, as the Regimental Mascot. The kangaroo was given to the Cairo Zoological Gardens when the unit headed to Gallipoli and, in so many cases, certain death.



This little fellow was presented to the West Australian Section of the Siege Brigade and taken to England and France. He did not survive very long, being affected by the cold of the 1915-1916 winters seen here wearing a cut down service dress jacket with the Brigade badge on the collar.He/she was always worried by dogs. The photograph bears the inscription 'The Siege Train Regimental Pet'.



A nurse seen with the one from the Siege Brigade, 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade, Royal Australian Artillery in 1915.

There are many more out there, so over to you.

(Thanks to the AWM for the use of these photos.)

Regards Rick.