News Digest

Millionaire shuffles off her perch and leaves $100k nest egg to pet cockatiels

A Manhattan millionaire has left a $100,000 (£66,000) trust fund to her 32 pet cockatiels. Leslie Ann Mandel’s will states her beloved birds should “continue to live in the aviary” at her $4m home in East Hampton, New York, according to the New York Post. She listed each of the birds - Wheetie, Port, Blackie, Zippy, Tara, Zara, Shasha, Pigeon, Victory, Alie, Zack 12, Dart, Cubby, Max, Baby, Ruthie, Pumpkin, Tattoo, Susie, Tracy, Margie, Sammy, Angel, Inky, Sara, Tundra, Tanteleah, Eva, Cody, Nicki, Avis and Dragon - in her legal papers.

It is my wish that the birds be fed and the building cleaned each Monday and Thursday and their food shall be purchased from Avi-Cakes, carrots, water and popcorn.

Leslie Ann Mandel

Ms Mandel, who was married to sci-fi author Arthur Herzog, named her stepson, Matthew Herzog, as trustee of the fund, which will also care for a cat named Kiki and a rescue dog named Frosty. The direct mail entrepreneur died in June, aged 69, after amassing a $5.3m fortune.