Did you know,  Cunard  have transported many animals over their time so far? From chickens to circus elephants, from race horses to pampered pooches and even a HIPPO has sailed with Cunard. A regular early cargo for Cunard was carrying monkeys and Captain William Turner once compared first class passengers to a “load of bloody monkeys who are constantly chattering”, it makes you wonder if this is where he got his comparison from. Read on to learn some history about Cunard’s Animals!

Britannia  set off on her  first voyage in 1840  and onboard she had three cats which were put onboard to keep rats at bay. The passengers onboard were forbidden to the feed the cats in case they lost their appetite for rats.

Also in the days of Britannia, it was quite common for a COW to be placed in a harness on deck to provide fresh milk throughout the crossing. Poor cow! On the last day of the sailing, the cow would be slaughtered (probably a blessing for the cow as we can’t image cows are good sailors). This was a great marketing ploy for Cunard as the last meal of the voyage would consist of fresh beef. Passengers would be happy leaving the voyage because of the memories they would have of their last delicious dinner onboard, not necessarily the voyage itself.

In the 1920’s and 1930’s, Mr Ramshaw made at least 21 crossings. Who is Mr Ramshaw you ask? He was a 22 year old Eagle who was accommodated near the butcher’s shop and the butcher’s shop used to supply him with chicken heads.

The stars of the ‘Miracle Rider’ series, Mix and Tony, were regular first class travellers and Tony (a horse) was fitted with special rubber shoes to stop him slipping about the decks.

On Queen Mary, 26 kennels in two tiers were built. The kennels had a removable teak floor, a skylight, hot and cold running water AND central heating!! On one sailing, the Duke of Windsor remarked that is was a shame there was no lamp post beside the kennels and low and behold, one was then installed. Cunard even decided to go one step further on Queen Mary II by also adding a fire hydrant for the American pooches.

Today, you will not find as many kennels onboard  Queen Mary 2  as she now provides just 12 kennels which get booked up months in advance.

In 1922, Epsom Derby Winner Papyrus sailed on Aquitania to America. Here he was to compete in the Kentucky Derby. Papyrus was allowed to take into the USA a supply of bottled beer because beer actually formed a part of his daily diet! He was therefore granted a privilege no other visitor could enjoy.

A feature decor on the Berengaria in the 1930’s was canaries in cages which were hung from the balconies of the restaurant. If the ship rolled, the cages were kept upright by special springs and it was the job of the Bellboys to feed them. Chickens also made an appearance on Queen Mary on her maiden voyage when actress Francis Day brought along her own chickens to make sure she had good quality eggs, even though the voyage took just over FOUR DAYS!

In 1963, a hippo enjoyed some time on Pavia as he made his way from Naples to Chester Zoo. He travelled on deck with an awning over his cage to protect him from the sun and was given a cold shower every hour.

Over the years, there have been many homing pigeons and migrating birds that have been blown off course that have taken a pew on a Cunard ship. The ones who were lucky enough to find a perch on Queen Elizabeth II were taken to the hospital and fed smoked salmon and caviar before they were released. Excited passengers even christened one ‘Coo E 2’ and demanded hourly updates on the bird. When they arrived in Southampton, ‘Coo E 2’ was handed back to its owners.

So there we have it, a story of just some of the few animals that have been lucky enough to travel with Cunard. We wonder if animals could talk how they would rate their experience!

Learn more about Cunard’s Queen Mary 2