Animal-loving Price Is Right legend Bob Barker left the lion’s share of his $70 million fortune to dogs and other critters he adored, friends dished after his recent death at age 99, RadarOnline.com has learned.
“Bob’s love of animals was well-known throughout his lifetime, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise,” a longtime friend shared.
Barker donated millions to support the study of animal rights, including gifts to law schools at Columbia University, the University of Virginia, Harvard University, Georgetown University, Duke University, Northwestern University, and Stanford University.
In 2010, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society used $5 million provided by Barker to purchase and outfit a ship to battle Japanese whaling operations. That ship was christened the MY Bob Barker in his honor.
Barker also participated in several PETA public service announcements and in 2010 he donated $2.5 million toward the purchase of the organization’s office space, which ultimately became The Bob Barker Building.
“The bulk of Bob’s estate will be donated to humane organizations and military charities,” revealed Barker’s longtime publicist Roger Neal.
Barker’s estate will be administered by the DJ&T Foundation, which he founded in 1994 and named after his late wife, Dorothy Jo Gideon, and his mother, Tilly Kent Tarleton. It focuses on animal neutering and rescue operations.
“Bob used to end every episode of The Price Is Right by saying, ‘Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered.”
Barker’s feud with Seymour was over animals too. He spearheaded a campaign to stop the alleged abuse of horses on her show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, calling in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to investigate.
The SPCA went undercover on set — and confirmed that two horses needed to be retired and 30 more were lame, some visibly limping, more with injuries not visible to the untrained eye.
Barker’s no-nonsense efforts led to the firing of Dr. Quinn’s horse handler and drastic changes for the helpless horses on the set.