An African elephant named Paige, weighing roughly 4 tons, was brought to the Texas Republican Party's annual convention in Houston on Friday to excite attendees after Governor Greg Abbott finished his keynote speech. Instead, she drew widespread attention for the wrong reasons: she urinated on the convention floor inside the George R. Brown convention center, and animal welfare concerns quickly followed.
Organizers had promised a “larger-than-life surprise” and asked people to keep aisles clear. Shortly after Abbott concluded his remarks, Paige entered the hall adorned with a large campaign-themed banner. As she moved through the venue, she suddenly halted and relieved herself, according to videos shared online. At least one attendee could be heard shouting “Oh no,” as others laughed or reacted with surprise.
The Texas Democratic Party wasted no time in circulating video of the incident, presenting it as symbolic. “Governor Abbott closed out his speech at the Texas GOP convention with a live elephant. It then peed on the floor as it left the room. The perfect metaphor for the Texas Republican Party,” a post read.
The Texas Republican Party also posted a video of Paige beginning her walk through the crowd on X, 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!” The replies were largely critical, with journalist Yashar Ali writing: “Shame on every single human being involved in torturing Paige the Elephant.” Another commenter wrote: “This is abhorrent cruelty. Elephants are not political props. Disgusting and disgraceful.”
Paige is part of the East Texas Elephant Experience, an animal facility in Cut and Shoot, Texas. The company’s website says Paige and two other elephants were brought to the US after their parents were poached for ivory in the late 1990s. The business offers visitors an “up close and personal” experience for $125 per ticket, and apparently also rents out elephants. The Animal Rights Coalition has been highly critical, accusing them in a 2024 Facebook post of forcing the animals to travel “so they can be used by humans for a few moments of selfish entertainment.” The group also has a page titled “Send Jeanie, Krissy, and Paige to Sanctuary!” accusing the business of forcing elephants to endure “long hours of confinement, often chained and transported in cramped trailers across the country.”
Paige’s species, the African elephant, is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Ironically, the national Republican symbol has been put in further peril in recent years after Trump loosened restrictions around the import of elephant trophies from some African countries. Two of the president’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, are prolific big-game hunters, having previously been pictured on a 2011 hunting trip posing with animals they had killed on safari, including an elephant, a buffalo, and a leopard.