List of wealthiest animals

Tardar Sauce, better known as "Grumpy Cat"

The list of wealthiest animals in the world include animals that have inherited or earned over 1 million U.S. dollars.

Through inheritance

Non-human animals are not legal persons and cannot directly own property. Pets typically "inherit" money through a pet trust through which the money must be used for their care after the death of the owner.^[1]

Hoaxes

• Reportedly, Toby Rimes, a poodle, inherited $20 million from New Yorker Ella Wendel in 1931.^[11][12] In fact, it seems that no such bequest was made.^[13]
• In 2021, the Associated Press and several other news organizations reported that a German Shepherd dog named Gunther VI inherited $400 million dollars from Countess Karlotta Leibenstein of Germany. The day after the Associated Press article, the New York Post published an article disputing the validity of the claim.^[14] The Associated Press later removed the article from its website and published a new article admitting the story was a fabrication.^[15] The story of Gunter was featured in the 2023 Netflix documentary series Gunther's Millions.^[16]

See also

• List of individual cats
• List of individual dogs
• List of individual apes
• List of wealthiest families

References

1. Fox, Emily Jane (9 September 2015). "What Happens When Someone Leaves Millions to a Pet?". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
2. "Pet Rich List 2018 reveals the wealthiest pets in the world". Country Living. 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
3. "Pet Rich List 2018 reveals the wealthiest pets in the world". Country Living. 2018-08-12. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
4. "World's Richest Chicken - Millionaire Hen". 13 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
5. "Tommaso, the Italian cat, inherits $13 million from owner Maria Assunta | Public Radio International". Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
6. "Wealthiest cat | Guinness World Records". Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
7. Maremont, Mark; Scism, Leslie (2010-06-17). "Chihuahua at Center of Fight Over Posner Heiress's Will". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
8. Beres, Nick (11 February 2021). "8-year-old border collie named Lulu inherits $5 million in owner's will". NewsChannel5. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
9. Buckley, Cara (10 June 2011). "Cosseted Life and Secret End of a Millionaire Maltese". The New York Times.
10. "Pets that inherited a fortune". MNN - Mother Nature Network. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
11. Tim Parker. "These Are Some Of The Richest Pets In The World". Business Insider Australia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
12. "The world's top 4 richest pets". Yahoo! Finance. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
13. Mervin Rosenman (1984). Forgery, Perjury and an Enormous Fortune.
14. Gould, Jennifer (November 18, 2021). "No, stupid: A dog isn't really selling Madonna's former Florida mansion". New York Post. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
15. Spencer, Terry (Nov 23, 2021). "Story about dog 'selling' mansion part of long-running tale". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
16. Goffe, Nadira (February 1, 2023). "The Biggest Lie in Netflix's Hit New Docuseries". Slate. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.