14. Elvis Presley had several unusual pets
Elvis was an animal lover throughout his life, and as he did in all other things which interested him, he indulged himself to excess. He kept numerous dogs over the years, and they were one of the gifts he liked to bestow upon women as his fame and wealth grew. His Memphis estate, Graceland, was populated with a menagerie which included several dogs as well as chickens and pigs, monkeys and spider moneys, exotic birds such as peacocks and peahens, and a flock of geese which the singer acquired to help keep the grass trimmed around the grounds. His reaction to reptiles was less gracious, Elvis was known to shoot snakes which he encountered on the grounds.
A wallaby given to the singer as a gift resided with him for some time before Elvis donated it to a local zoo. He also had a chimpanzee which he named Scatter, and which became a drinking companion, though Scatter was less than well-behaved when in his cups. Scatter, whom Elvis dressed in suits, complete with necktie, had a fondness for pulling up women’s skirts. Scatter accompanied Elvis on some of his journeys to Hollywood as well as on tour, thoroughly disliked by the King’s entourage, but always in Presley’s good graces. There are reports that Scatter was poisoned, but others of Elvis’s Memphis Mafia speculated that the chimp died from liver disease brought on by its fondness for alcohol.