Brendan O'Connor
In her will, the late Leslie Ann Mandel, an entrepreneur who lived in Manhattan, left $100,000, with instructions, to her 32 cockatiels. Her will asks that the birds continue to live in the style to which they have become accustomed: an aviary at her $4 million East Hampton home.
Mandel made her millions with her direct mailing “rich list,” the New YorkPost reports. She was married to sci-fi author Arthur Herzog, whose son, Matthew, Mandel named as trustee of the pet fund. Mandel died in June at the age of 69.
Mandel is not the first rich eccentric to leave money for their pets: hotel magnate Leona Helmsley bequeathed $12 million to her dog, Trouble, the Associated Press reports, although a judge later reduced the number to $2 million.
According to the Post, Mandel’s will lists each of the birds by name:
1. Wheetie
2. Port
3. Blackie
4. Zippy
5. Tara
6. Zara
7. Shasha
8. Pigeon (lol)
9. Victory
10. Alie
11. Zack 12
12. Dart
13. Cubby
14. Max
15. Baby
16. Ruthie
17. Pumpkin
18. Tattoo
19. Susie
20. Tracy
21. Margie
22. Sammy
23. Angel
24. Inky
25. Sara
26. Tundra
27. Tanteleah
28. Eva
29. Cody
30. Nicki
31. Avis
32. Dragon
(“Pigeon,” lol.)
If the birds have to leave East Hampton, Mandel dictated that they can be moved to “a protected place of similar size and dimension, made of the same materials, without a cage, for the rest of their natural lives.”
Also, the cockatiels are to share their $100,000 with her dog, Frosty, and her cat, Kiki.