Animals have always been a huge part of our lives. They've provided us with food, company, and, in a lot of cases, entertainment. Since the dawn of Hollywood in the '30s and, more recently, the Internet, countless animal celebrities have been made. What's more is that these talented animals are paid a handsome amount of money for their time and talents!
Some animal celebrities are so rich that they've actually got a net worth that's greater than human stars. We've always loved talented animals, and whilst they've always been paid seizable amounts, they've only gotten richer in recent years. Thanks to the Internet, any animal has the potential to garner celebrity status if their owner's willing to share them with the world...
From dogs who've walked down the Yellow Brick Road to orcas who've jumped to freedom in real life and on the big screen, we're going to give you the lowdown on the richest animals in the world. By the time you've finished reading this list, you'll be checking to see if your pet has got any hidden talents or rushing to the store to buy an animal in the hope it'll become Insta-famous!
[post_page_title]Peanut, the World's Ugliest Dog ($1,500)[/post_page_title]
Whilst the majority of people absolutely adore animals, unfortunately, there are some monsters who chose to abuse them. This dog didn't have the easiest start in life, and it took its toll on his appearance, but he's ultimately had the last laugh...
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/yCZ3NZSXGd/
[/MediaContent]
Animal abuse and burn victim Peanut was crowned the World's Ugliest Dog and was awarded $1,500. But, more importantly, he's now got a new owner who hasn't just helped him gain fame, but given him a new happy and healthy life! Speaking of their unusual looking pooch, Peanut's owner said, "He doesn't have lips anymore. His eyelids are also gone, and so he can't close his eyes, so therefore his eyes water. The tears drain into his nose and so he has nice little snot bubbles because of it. So it's great, that adds to his character."
[post_page_title]Chris P. Bacon ($8,000)[/post_page_title]
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/12T5yrqJdD/
[/MediaContent]
[post_page_title]Rhea - The Naked Birdie ($20,000)[/post_page_title]
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1fPqORn9mV/
[/MediaContent]
[post_page_title]Colonel Meow ($30,000)[/post_page_title]
One of the things we love about animals is their fur, especially if they're a domestic animal like a dog or a cat. This cat gained international fame in 2013 when he was awarded the record for having the longest cat hair in the world at an impressive nine inches!
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlbO8P5hbx5/
[/MediaContent]
Like Peanut the dog, Colonel Meow didn't have the easiest start in life. Sadly, not much is known about his parents or kittenhood, all we know is that he was found at the side of the road abandoned and adopted by a kindly bartender who catapulted him to international fame. His brooding expression won the hearts of millions on the Internet, even if the cat's owner jokingly referred to Colonel's fans as his 'minions' and himself as his 'Human Slave Beast', but sadly he died in 2014.
[post_page_title]Terry the Dog ($30,000)[/post_page_title]
Now, this is an animal celebrity who's got a special place in my heart. The Wizard of Oz (1939) is a classic, and it would be nowhere near as great if it wasn't for Dorothy's lovable sidekick Toto. Shockingly, he earned more than many of the human actors in the movie...
Toto was played by a Cairn Terrier called Terry, whose name was later changed to Toto because people loved The Wizard of Oz so much. He earned $125 a week (equivalent to $2,131.45 today) for his role in the movie, whereas the Munchkins only earned $50 - $100 each! This wasn't the only movie he starred in, however, he appeared in a total of 16! He lived until the ripe old age of 11, which was pretty old in doggie years for his breed! His exact net worth isn't known, but we can safely assume it was more than $30,000.
[post_page_title]Pal ($51,000)[/post_page_title]
Toto might have had a role in The Wizard of Oz, but he wasn't the main character. This canine celebrity, however, starred in one of the most famous stories about dogs of all time. It's no wonder that he was worth so much money...
Star of the movie and TV series Lassie and Lassie Come Home (1943), Pal was described by The Saturday Evening Post as having the "the most spectacular canine career in [movie] history." Amazingly, Pal and Terry both had the same trainer, Frank Weatherwax, who loved Pal dearly, and thanks to the success of Lassie Come Home, Pal went on to star in another six movies!
[post_page_title]Hamilton the Hipster Cat ($63,000)[/post_page_title]
These days, hipsters are everywhere. They've pretty much taken over dining experiences up and down the US, filling restaurants with bizarre objects for the sake of looking different. Being a hipster is also a big look, especially when it comes to facial hair...
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1eaMgDFuSO/
[/MediaContent]
With his distinctive white, Victorian-esque mustache, Hamilton the Hipster Cat became an overnight celebrity on Instagram. As of July 2017, he's currently got 751,000 followers on the popular social media platform. Even if you hate hipsters, I can guarantee that you'll love Hamilton's owner. He was adopted from a shelter, and his owner has donated all of his earnings back to it!
[post_page_title]Crystal the Monkey ($108,000)[/post_page_title]
Making a movie is a laborious process and that means that the animals recruited for the job have to be particularly well-trained. This animal's star quality was recognized when she was a baby, and she was bought by a Hollywood trainer for the movies...
Making her debut at the age of three in the hit movie George of the Jungle (1997), Crystal the Monkey's one of the biggest animal stars in the world. She's got some impressive titles to her name, having also acted in Night at the Museum (2006) and The Hangover Part II (2011). The Los Angeles Times said she was "the most powerful pet in Hollywood", but she's nowhere near the richest...
[post_page_title]Tara the Hero Cat ($165,000)[/post_page_title]
When it comes to protecting us humans, cats don't have much of a reputation. That's why dogs are called man's best friend. But this cat broke the mold when she saved a member of her family from an untimely death...
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/_3IREhR3iV/
[/MediaContent]
In dramatic CCTV footage which went viral online, Tara the Hero Cat can be seen saving a three-year-old boy from a vicious dog attack. It attracted a huge amount of attention as soon as the footage was uploaded to YouTube and was the first-ever video to attract 20 million views in five days. Thanks to the popularity of the video, Tara's now an extremely rich cat!
[post_page_title]Keyboard Cat ($175,000)[/post_page_title]
As I'm sure you'll agree, animals have a lot of talent, but there's one arena where few have made an impact - music. This cat, however, with the help of its owner became a YouTube sensation playing a certain instrument...
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/BK9RWLFjqaZ/
[/MediaContent]
Uploaded to YouTube in 2007, footage of Keyboard Cat playing the keyboard became a sensation. The footage, however, was actually from 1984. Needless to say, Keyboard Cat's no longer with us, but they've posthumously made a small fortune! It's been reported that Keyboard Cat's video rakes in $21,100-$175,800 a year, so she's worth a minimum of $175,000!
[post_page_title]Lil Bub ($180,000)[/post_page_title]
Unlike us humans, a lot of animals have multiple young and usually, there's a baby that's, well, a bit weaker than the rest. This runt of the litter struggled to find a forever home because of her severe disabilities, but when she did, she became a sensation...
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3XXvlDAb9Q/
[/MediaContent]
Famed for her unusual appearance, Lil Bub was adopted by a friend of a shelter worker after they struggled to find her a home. Due to a genetic mutation, her tongue hangs out. She's also got osteoporosis. But thanks to her online fame, her owner, Mike Bridavsky, was able to quit his day job and work with her full time. He's donated a lot of her earnings to animal charities! Once again, her exact net worth isn't known, but it's been confirmed that she makes an impressive $30,000 a year.
[post_page_title]Jill the Squirrel ($200,000)[/post_page_title]
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Z5pgZFjiM/
[/MediaContent]
[post_page_title]Henri, le Chat Noir ($280,000)[/post_page_title]
This cat's fame is largely down to its owner's talent. Like a lot of other animal celebrities on this list, he made his debut on YouTube in a short movie about a fictional existential crisis that his owner narrated in French...
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByyM-jOHHTr/
[/MediaContent]
Since his first video in 2007, Henri, le Chat Noir has released a further 21 videos about his dark but privileged life. They've been incredibly popular and his owner, Will Braden, has capitalized on this, reportedly making $1,000 a week from the sale of Henri's merchandise! Henri was described by The Huffington Post as being "a feline Serge Gainsbourg, just without the singing, or the alcoholism, or the public scandal. Or maybe he's not like that at all. Maybe Henri, is, as he so eloquently states in his latest film, his 'own cat.'"
[post_page_title]Rin Tin Tin ($300,000)[/post_page_title]
Throughout history, dogs have had countless purposes. We've used them to hunt other animals, and, in some cases, fight by our sides. This dog was rescued from a French battlefield during World War One and went on to become a movie star! Admittedly, the original Rin Tin Tin and Lassie are not pictured below:
American soldier Lee Duncan was Rin Tin Tin's rescuer. Rin Tin Tin had belonged to the Germans, but the kennel he was in had been damaged beyond repair. He was just a puppy at the time and was found with his mom and siblings. They were found and rescued by Duncan, and he decided to keep Rin Tin Tin and his sister for himself. Sadly, the other dog never survived the journey back to America, but Rin Tin Tin did and was soon starring in movies. He made his first appearance in 1923 in the movie Where the North Begins.
[post_page_title]Bodhi ($500,000)[/post_page_title]
We've met a lot of animal actors on this list so far, but there's no other animal who's got a job this unusual. Fashion brands are always looking for new ways to get their customer's attention, and this dog became a menswear model...
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2jxKZ-nUYa/
[/MediaContent]
It all started when Bodhi's owners started dressing him up in human clothes and putting the pictures online. They quickly became a sensation, and now Bohdi works for some of the biggest menswear brands in the world including Coach and ASOS!
[post_page_title]Tuna ($500,000)[/post_page_title]
Another pooch who is worth a cool half a million is Tuna,
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz83rg0B7jf/
[/MediaContent]
[post_page_title]Maru ($900,000)[/post_page_title]
YouTube's become an invaluable platform for putting talented animals into the spotlight, and this cat reigns supreme over all others when it comes to the number of views she's got. Maru's the star of the show, and she's filmed getting up to her day to day activities...
[MediaContent]
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1LEccIAg3P/
[/MediaContent]
But Maru's no ordinary cat. She's particularly entertaining, and her hilarious, clumsy antics have won the hearts of millions. As a result of her YouTube fame, she's landed a role in commercials, DVDs and even books. She rose to fame in 2010, and, whilst her exact net worth isn't known, earns $180,000 a year, so she has to be worth at least $900,000 if not a million!
[post_page_title]Missy ($1.2 Million)[/post_page_title]
[post_page_title]Pudsey ($1.5 Million)[/post_page_title]
One of the biggest sensations of the noughties was talent shows, and they're still popular today. This dog became a sensation when his amazing dancing skills were shown on Britain's Got Talent, and he went on to win the show!
Rising to fame in 2012, Pudsey and his then-teenage owner Ashley were a sensation. She trained him herself, and he was possibly the greatest dancing dog in the world. Their winning routine involved a James Bond themed dance. After winning Britain's Got Talent, he had a lot of success and even starred in Pudsey: The Movie (2014). Tragically, Pudsey died on July 21, 2017.
[post_page_title]Bart the Bear ($6 Million)[/post_page_title]
If you're an animal and your mom was a star, it's only natural that you'd end up following in her footsteps. That's exactly what his grizzly bear did. At the age of just five weeks old, he began to get trained up for a glistening Hollywood career...
Star of numerous movies including The Bear (1988) and The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1991), Bart the Bear became a Hollywood legend. He was even described by directors as "The John Wayne of Bears". He lived until he was 23, and amazingly his son is now a bear actor too! However, he's not got a patch on his dad's wealth which, admittedly, would be hard to rival.
[post_page_title]Boo ($7 Million)[/post_page_title]
The Animal Kingdom is full of adorable faces, but this dog's cuteness is completely unrivaled. If you didn't know better, you'd actually be forgiven for thinking that he was a teddy bear and not a living, breathing animal!
The Internet couldn't handle Boo's cuteness, and it's made him into a very rich pooch indeed! He's been the subject of a number of picture books written by his owner - who was exposed as a Facebook worker - under the pseudonym J.H. Lee which have been internationally successful. As of July 2017, his Facebook page has 17 million likes. It's no wonder that this dog's so rich.
[post_page_title]Moose ($3.2 Million)[/post_page_title]
Owning a dog is a great responsibility. They need a lot of training and care from an early age, and sometimes, no matter how hard we try, pooches just can't be controlled. This dog was one of them, but luckily for him, his original owners recognized that he just needed a firm hand and gave him to a company that trains up pooches to be stars!
Eddie Crane was Moose's biggest role in the TV sitcom Frasier. This dog was clearly destined for great things as he'd only been training for six months when he got the job. He earned a staggering $10,000 for every episode he appeared in. As a result of his success on the show, Moose also appeared in the movies My Dog Skip (2000) and See Spot Run (2001).
[post_page_title]American Pharoah ($4.53 Million)[/post_page_title]
When it comes to animals making money, there are few ways of making it as quickly as in horse racing. That's been proven by this exceptional horse who won a consecutive four races at the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2014...
This quadruple win meant that American Pharoah had own the American horse racing's "Grand Slam". He had one of the most successful racing careers in history but was retired in 2015. He's now used as a stud (lucky him!) and breeders of racehorses are willing to pay staggering amounts of money to have him father their horses.
[post_page_title]Gigoo ($15 Million)[/post_page_title]
[post_page_title]Keiko ($36 Million)[/post_page_title]
The captivity of orcas has become an extremely controversial topic recently because of the 2013 documentary Blackfish. It's clear that they're too intelligent to be kept in captivity. This orca had been left to rot in an amusement park for years but ended up becoming a star thanks to his amazing personality. This led to him being the first captive orca to be re-released back into the wild...
Star of Free Willy (1993), Keiko eventually got his own happy ending when fans of the movie funded an extremely costly rehabilitation and release program for him. The money he earned from the movie also helped buy his eventual freedom. Sadly, Keiko died a year after he was rereleased of natural causes, but there's no doubt that he died a happy whale after finally getting his freedom back.
[post_page_title]Grumpy Cat ($100 Million)[/post_page_title]
Sometimes life doesn't go our way and we end up feeling grumpy about everything. Whether it's getting served the wrong coffee in Starbucks or walking outside only for it to start raining straight away. That's when this cat's memes come into play...
Scowling like no cat has done before, Grumpy Cat caught the world's attention on Reddit. Her memes are some of the most shared on the Internet, and she's been in ads and books as a result of her grumpy face. But what most people don't know is that Grumpy Cat's not actually grumpy! She suffers from an underbite and feline dwarfism which has resulted in her permanent scowl!
