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Melania Trump fed elephants, visited with orphans and wore a hat reminiscent of colonialism on the fourth day of her African tour
Melania Trump fed elephants, visited with orphans and wore a hat reminiscent of colonialism on the fourth day of her African tour
Ashley CollmanOct 6, 2018, 01:47 IST
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On the fourth day of her African tour, first lady Melania Trump bottle-fed elephant calves, went on a safari, visited an orphanage, and had tea with Kenya's first lady.
She received some criticism on Twitter for wearing riding boots and a pith helmet that evoked the colonial era of Africa's history.
Video also showed a Secret Service agent running to her aid when a baby elephant started charging toward her.
First lady Melania Trump had a dramatic fourth day on her African tour.
She touched down in Kenya on Thursday night for the third stop of her six-day visit, her first major solo international trip as first lady.
She spent her first full day in the country on Friday bottle-feeding elephants, going on safari, visiting orphans, having tea with the Kenyan first lady and taking in a performance at the Nairobi National Theatre.
The day was eventful in more ways than one. First, the first lady was nearly trampled by a baby elephant. Then she was ridiculed on Twitter for wearing a pith helmet, a look typical of turn-of-the-century imperialists, to go on safari.
After the visit with the baby elephants, the first lady was taken on a short safari through Nairobi National Park.
According to the pool report, the first lady spotted a rhino and a buffalo on the short safari.
During the visit to the park, she also visited an ivory burn site, where illegally obtained elephant tusks were destroyed to discourage the poaching of the endangered animals.
At several points during the safari, the first lady took out her cellphone to take pictures of the wildlife.
The first lady received some flak on Twitter for her outfit, which evoked Africa's colonial past.
Pith helmets, like the one Mrs. Trump wore on safari, were often worn by the imperialists who divided the continent up amongst themselves at the turn of the century, putting most Africans under European rule.
Many on social media commented that the outfit was less than appropriate for the occasion.