List of wealthiest animals

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File:Grumpy Cat by Gage Skidmore.jpg"]]

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.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/09/pet-will-fortune|title=What Happens When Someone Leaves Millions to a Pet?|last=Fox|first=Emily Jane|date=9 September 2015|magazine=Vanity Fair|language=en|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921170856/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/09/pet-will-fortune|url-status=live}}

class="wikitable sortable"

!Name

!Estimated worth in US$ millions (estimated)

!Description

Tardar Sauce

|99 (2018)

|Better known as Grumpy Cat, Tardar Sauce had an estimated worth of at least $99 million.{{Cite web |date=2018-08-12 |title=Pet Rich List 2018 reveals the wealthiest pets in the world |url=https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/pets/a22695481/pet-rich-list-2018-wealthiest-pets-in-world/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=Country Living |language=en-GB}}

Olivia Benson

|{{sort|97|97}} (2018){{Cite web |date=2018-08-12 |title=Pet Rich List 2018 reveals the wealthiest pets in the world |url=https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/pets/a22695481/pet-rich-list-2018-wealthiest-pets-in-world/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715155356/https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/pets/a22695481/pet-rich-list-2018-wealthiest-pets-in-world/ |archive-date=July 15, 2023 |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=Country Living |language=en-GB}}

|A Scottish Fold cat owned by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

Gigoo

|{{sort|15|15}} (2016)

|A Scots Dumpy hen willed $15 million. She was owned by Miles Blackwell, a publisher of textbooks.{{Cite web |date=13 April 2016 |title=World's Richest Chicken - Millionaire Hen |url=https://www.countryliving.com/life/kids-pets/a38210/this-is-the-worlds-richest-chicken/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410072910/https://www.countryliving.com/life/kids-pets/a38210/this-is-the-worlds-richest-chicken/ |archive-date=10 April 2018 |access-date=9 April 2018}}

Tommaso

|{{sort|13|13}} (2018)

|A black cat who lives in Italy and inherited $13 million. The cat was a stray that found its way into the home of Maria Assunta, a property magnate in Italy. When Assunta died at the age of 94, she willed her fortune to either the cat or an animal welfare charity that would look after it. It was decided after no suitable charity could be found that the money would be given to the cat, held in trust by Assunta's nurse.{{Cite web |title=Tommaso, the Italian cat, inherits $13 million from owner Maria Assunta {{!}} Public Radio International |date=August 2016 |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-12-12/tommaso-italian-cat-inherits-13-million-owner-maria-assunta |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410074502/https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-12-12/tommaso-italian-cat-inherits-13-million-owner-maria-assunta |archive-date=10 April 2018 |access-date=9 April 2018}}

Blackie

|{{sort|12.5|12.5}} (2018)

|Considered the richest cat by Guinness World Records until 2018, inherited a $12.5 million fortune.{{Cite web |title=Wealthiest cat {{!}} Guinness World Records |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/wealthiest-cat |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410074910/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/wealthiest-cat |archive-date=10 April 2018 |access-date=9 April 2018}}

Conchita

|{{sort|11.3|11.3}} (2010)

|A Chihuahua, was bequeathed $3 million plus an $8.3 million mansion in Miami by heiress Gail Posner.{{Cite news |last1=Maremont |first1=Mark |last2=Scism |first2=Leslie |date=2010-06-17 |title=Chihuahua at Center of Fight Over Posner Heiress's Will |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703513604575311020555877854 |access-date=2024-02-15 |work=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US}}

Lulu

|{{sort|5|5}} (2021)

|An 8-year-old Border Collie, inherited $5 million in her owner's will.{{Cite news |last=Beres |first=Nick |date=11 February 2021 |title=8-year-old border collie named Lulu inherits $5 million in owner's will |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/8-year-old-border-collie-named-lulu-inherits-5-million-in-owners-will |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215123745/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/8-year-old-border-collie-named-lulu-inherits-5-million-in-owners-will |archive-date=15 February 2021 |access-date=15 February 2021 |work=NewsChannel5}}

Choupette

|3.18 (2015)

|In March 2015, Lagerfeld said, in an interview with The Cut, that Choupette had earned €3 million ($3.18 million USD) during 2014 from participating in two projects: one for cars in Germany, and the other for a Shu Uemura's "Shupette" beauty product in Japan.

Trouble

|{{sort|2|2}} (2010)

|A dog that was owned by Leona Helmsley, to which she bequeathed $12 million in a will that disinherited her two grandchildren. A judge later amended the amount down to $2 million.{{cite news |last1=Buckley |first1=Cara |date=10 June 2011 |title=Cosseted Life and Secret End of a Millionaire Maltese |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/nyregion/leona-helmsleys-millionaire-dog-trouble-is-dead.html |work=The New York Times}}

Flossie

|{{sort|1.3|1.3}} (2002)

|A dog owned by Drew Barrymore, barked to alert her and then-husband Tom Green of a fire. She put her $1.3 million house in trust for the dog to show her gratitude.{{cite web |title=Pets that inherited a fortune |url=http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/pets-that-inherited-a-fortune |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303153738/http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/pets-that-inherited-a-fortune |archive-date=3 March 2016 |accessdate=22 February 2016 |work=MNN - Mother Nature Network}}{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2024}}

Tinker

|{{sort|1.02|1.02}} (2003)

|A stray cat that was bequeathed an $800,000 home and a $226,000 trust fund.{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2024}}{{Disputed inline|date=February 2024|Disputed worth}}

Hoaxes

  • Reportedly, Toby Rimes, a poodle, inherited $20 million from New Yorker Ella Wendel in 1931.{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/these-are-some-of-the-the-richest-pets-in-the-world-2012-1|title=These Are Some Of The Richest Pets In The World|author=Tim Parker|work=Business Insider Australia|access-date=22 February 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001640/http://www.businessinsider.com.au/these-are-some-of-the-the-richest-pets-in-the-world-2012-1|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-world-s-top-4-richest-pets.html|title=The world's top 4 richest pets|date=6 January 2012|work=Yahoo! Finance|accessdate=22 February 2016|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303080927/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-world-s-top-4-richest-pets.html|url-status=live}} In fact, it seems that no such bequest was made.{{Cite book|author=Mervin Rosenman|date=1984|title=Forgery, Perjury and an Enormous Fortune}}
  • 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.{{Cite news |last=Gould |first=Jennifer |date=November 18, 2021 |title=No, stupid: A dog isn't really selling Madonna's former Florida mansion |work=New York Post |url=https://nypost.com/2021/11/18/a-dog-isnt-really-selling-madonnas-former-florida-mansion/ |access-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103182942/https://nypost.com/2021/11/18/a-dog-isnt-really-selling-madonnas-former-florida-mansion/ |url-status=live }} The Associated Press later removed the article from its website and published a new article admitting the story was a fabrication.{{Cite news |last=Spencer |first=Terry |date=Nov 23, 2021 |title=Story about dog 'selling' mansion part of long-running tale |work=Orlando Sentinel |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/florida/fl-ne-dog-selling-mansion-stunt-20211124-ollf6w3zwvhidp3of7hkjn74ty-story.html |access-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103182944/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/florida/fl-ne-dog-selling-mansion-stunt-20211124-ollf6w3zwvhidp3of7hkjn74ty-story.html |url-status=live }} The story of Gunther was featured in the 2023 Netflix documentary series Gunther's Millions.{{cite news | url=https://slate.com/culture/2023/02/gunthers-millions-netflix-worlds-richest-dog-true-story.html | title=The Biggest Lie in Netflix's Hit New Docuseries | work=Slate | date=February 1, 2023 | accessdate=June 25, 2023 | author=Goffe, Nadira | archive-date=May 10, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510061057/https://slate.com/culture/2023/02/gunthers-millions-netflix-worlds-richest-dog-true-story.html | url-status=live }}

See also

References

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Extreme wealth}}

Category:Distribution of wealth

Wealthiest