CNN
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For over thirty years, Bob Barker was known and loved as the host of the hit game show “The Price is Right.” He famously ended each episode telling viewers to spay or neuter their pets. Barker spent decades giving his time and money to better the lives of creatures big and small. Here are several organizations you can donate to in honor of Bob Barker’s legacy.
Barker often joined forces with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to fight for various animal welfare issues – from protecting captive orcas to opposing product-testing on rabbits. “We love this man,” PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said in 2018. “But what do you give someone who has everything and gives his all to animals? The answer is a rescued horse named in his honor.” PETA also named its headquarters in Los Angeles “The Bob Barker Building” honoring the show host’s multi-million dollar donation.
Barker helped relocate captive big animals to comfortable sanctuaries. In 2013, Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary welcomed three elephants from the Toronto Zoo after their program was shut down. Barker’s $1 million donation ensured safe transport of Iringa, Thika and Toka. “If an elephant is going to be in captivity,” Barker said, “the PAWS sanctuary is the best place in the world for them.” The 2,300-acre sanctuary also houses lions, bears, and tigers.
Awards and Achievements
While Barker was recognized for his on-screen work with 19 Daytime Emmys, he also earned praise for his activism. The Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals honored Barker with their 2007 President’s Award. The nonprofit animal welfare organization has been helping animals since 1877 with services including cruelty investigations and a disaster animal response team.
Aside from simple activism, the TV veteran championed animal legal and ethics studies at law schools around the world. Barker was named an Honorary Fellow by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. “Almost single-handedly in little more than a decade, Bob’s sagacity and generosity have propelled animal ethics from a marginal issue into the academic mainstream. This is a colossal achievement,” said University of Oxford Professor Andrew Linzey.
In his younger years, Barker attended Drury University, then known as Drury College, on a basketball scholarship. He has since given millions of dollars to his alma mater, funding a scholarship, an internship fund, and setting up the university’s animal studies program. “Drury University is able to place bright young minds into this important field thanks to his support,” said Drury President Timothy Cloyd. “Gifts such as these have a ripple effect on the lives of our graduates and the world around them.”
