Diplomacy is usually imagined as a world of presidents shaking hands, ambassadors sitting across conference tables, treaties being signed and flags standing beside one another. But sometimes, diplomacy arrives on four legs. Sometimes it has stripes, feathers, a trunk, a long neck or a black-and-white coat. For thousands of years, rulers have used animals not merely as gifts, but as symbols of friendship, prestige, power and cultural identity. A giraffe could become a message from one distant civilisation to another. An elephant could represent peace. A panda could soften the image of an entire nation. This strange intersection of wildlife and international relations is often described as animal diplomacy. And behind the apparent simplicity of gifting an animal lies a much deeper story about power, perception, culture, conservation and the changing nature of international relations. What exactly is animal diplomacy? Animal diplomacy is the use of animals in international rel...
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