The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden received a “monumental” donation from the estate of the late Cincinnati millionaire Hugh Hoffman, the zoo said in a public announcement.
The $60 million donation will be used in several ways, including for animal care, to expand a global fellowship program and to create new animal habitats.
Hoffman grew up visiting the Cincinnati Zoo, which led to his appreciation for nature. He was a world-traveler in his adult life and “embraced new cultures, landscapes and wildlife with genuine curiosity and respect,” the zoo statement relays.
“His extraordinary gift to the Cincinnati Zoo ensures that future generations will have the same opportunities to explore, learn, and be moved by the wonders of the natural world,” Hoffman’s nephew, Bert Bullock, said in the press release, “carrying forward his vision of a place where people and wildlife can thrive together.”
Hoffman, who died in March 2023, previously left a record breaking donation to the ALS Association as well as sizable gifts to the University of Cincinnati and other institutions. His estate was valued at an estimated $270.5 million, according to documents from Hamilton County Probate Court.
Zoo plans to open new giraffe, wolf habitats
Over the next five years, the zoo will add a new immersive giraffe habitat, add a new Mexican wolf habitat and bring rhinos back to the zoo, the release reads. It also plans to create a Children’s Garden.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Zoo receives ‘monumental’ donation from local millionaire Hugh Hoffman’s estate
Reporting by Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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