New Jersey man donates $1.4 million estate to Cape May County Zoo
CAPE MAY, N.J. (CBS) — The Cape May County Zoo is celebrating a massive, $1.4 million donation from a longtime supporter, Charles Muller, of Edison, New Jersey.
According to the zoo, the donation is the largest contribution ever received.
The Cape May County Park and Zoo is free for the hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and operates on donations.
Perhaps no one loved the zoo more than Muller. The WWII veteran first stumbled upon the zoo with his wife in the early 2000s after seeing a sign on the Garden State Parkway.
A few years later, Muller met former zoo director, Mike Laffey, after he called the zoo to not only request a private tour but also asked to be picked up at his home nearly two hours away in Central Jersey because he couldn't drive anymore.
"So, I took a risk and went up there," Laffey said. "The things he said about the zoo warmed my heart and I decided to go pick him up for that tour, and it paid dividends to the Cape May County Park and Zoo."
After the tour, Muller gave the zoo a $1,000 donation.
Rocky, a Siberian tiger, became one of Muller's favorite animals, and he would sit outside his exhibit for hours. Sadly, Rocky died from cancer in 2017.
Muller also quickly developed a friendship with Laffey. He requested more tours over the years and made several more donations.
"He trusted me in the few times that we met, and we became friends. I checked in on him once in a while," Laffey said.
Muller's wife, Elizabeth, died in 2010, but he continued to visit the zoo. Years later, with no surviving family members, Muller named Laffey the executor of his will.
"He kind of shocked me at that. I knew him, but I didn't know him that well, he's a pretty eccentric guy," Laffey said.
Muller died in September 2022 at 93 and left his entire estate to the zoo. Laffey worked with his attorneys for two years to provide the zoo with the donation, which came out to a total of $1,435,787.59.
"Without a doubt, it pays to be nice to people and trust that they want to do the right thing. We became friends, and he left a lot of money to this zoo," Laffey said.
The money will be used to benefit the zoo by providing food, shelter including habitats and exhibits, and medical care for the animals.
"It's gifts like these that help keep the Cape May County Zoo the jewel that it is," Commissioner Andrew Bulakowsk said in a statement.
Leonard Desiderio, Cape May County commissioner director, said Muller would be memorialized for his gift.
"We are extremely fortunate to have friends of the zoo from around the country and from all walks of life who love our zoo as much as we do," Desiderio said
CBS News Philadelphia intern Olivia Dunne contributed to this story.