A four-ton elephant was brought to the Texas Republican Party’s annual convention on Friday in a display that quickly went sour when the elephant urinated on the floor.
Paige, an African elephant, was paraded through the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston after Governor Greg Abbott’s keynote speech, and was seen wearing a large banner supporting Abbott.
She moved through the convention hall for a few moments before pausing to relieve herself on the floor, and has gone viral on social media for what many have called her "symbolic" accident
“That's a perfect representation of the Republican Party in America today,” one person wrote on social media.
“What an honor seeing as the elephant (and its pee) are more dignified than anything else in that room,” another wrote.
The Texas Republican Party also posted a video of Paige, sans urination, writing, “Welcome Paige! Thanks for stopping by the State Convention! What a treat for our delegates and guests - it’s one they won’t ever forget!”
Sanctuary where paige lives condemned for animal rights violations
Paige belongs to an animal facility called the East Texas Elephant Experience in the city of Cut and Shoot, Texas. The East Texas Elephant Experience has received condemnations from the Animal Rights Coalition for allowing the animals to “be used by humans for a few moments of selfish entertainment.”
“They deserve better. They deserve true sanctuary where they can live their lives free from exploitation and the threat of harm,” the Animal Rights Coalition added.
According to the Animal Rights Coalition, Paige and her sisters, Jeanie and Krissy, are forced to endure “long hours of confinement, often chained and transported in cramped trailers across the country”.
