Why did an old American woman give a huge inheritance to a German zoo?

September 3, 2017 According to foreign media reports, a wealthy old American lady wants to hand over her vast fortune to the Cologne Zoo in Germany for inheritance. The director of the zoo didn't believe it was true at first and thought it was a deliberate joke.

The 93-year-old American woman hopes to donate her $22 million inheritance to the Cologne Zoo in Germany across the Atlantic after her death. Happiness comes so suddenly, but it is real. This huge inheritance comes from Elisabeth Reichert, who was born in Cologne, where she met her husband Arnulf Reichert in 1944. In the second year after the end of World War II, Elizabeth married the young man she loved deeply and immigrated to the United States via Israel with her new husband. After settling down in the United States, her husband started a self-employed business and gradually became wealthy.

“We never forget Cologne,” says Elisabeth. Shortly before Arnulf's death, the childless couple decided to donate all their property to the Cologne Zoo. Because for them, the zoo is as important as Cologne Cathedral. “Memories certainly played a very important role when we were considering who to inherit our money from,” Elizabeth recounts.

In order to prevent relevant departments from reducing financial subsidies to the zoo because of this donation, the old American woman made careful arrangements to ensure that her donation could bring tangible benefits to the zoo. . These assets are invested in stocks and handed over to a foundation for management, and the zoo will receive regular capital gains. Director Landsberg said the zoo receives approximately US$1 million in grants each year.

To express its gratitude, the zoo plans to name its historic South American Zoo after the late Arnulf Reichert. Director Landsberg said that he once tried to persuade Elisabeth to come back to Cologne for a visit, but the 93-year-old man said he could no longer walk. The Cologne Zoo will always remain in her fond memories.