His words could encourage other donors.
His fame could amplify organizations that otherwise might struggle to reach millions of people.
When Advocacy Cost Him Something
Perhaps the strongest evidence of Barker's commitment was that he was willing to make choices that could affect his career.
For years, Barker also hosted the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
But fur became a point of conflict.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Barker objected to the use of real fur in the pageants. In 1987, he threatened to quit when he learned that finalists were expected to model fur coats. Organizers used synthetic fur that year.
The dispute did not disappear.
The following year, Barker left his longtime pageant-hosting roles when organizers would not eliminate fur coats as prizes.
That decision is significant because it shows that his animal advocacy was not confined to donating money after becoming wealthy.
He was prepared to challenge practices within the same entertainment industry that had made him famous.
Barker also pushed for changes on The Price Is Right. The show stopped offering fur coats as prizes, and he reportedly requested that it stop accepting advertising for meat products.
Those choices did not solve every animal-welfare problem in entertainment.
But they demonstrated how Barker viewed celebrity.
Fame, to him, could be leverage.
Sanctuaries and Animals With Nowhere Else to Go
Barker's philanthropy also reached sanctuaries caring for animals that could not simply be adopted into ordinary homes.
One organization with which he developed a long relationship was the Performing Animal Welfare Society, commonly known as PAWS.
The organization operates sanctuaries for captive and performing wildlife, including elephants, big cats and bears.
After Barker's death, PAWS co-founder Ed Stewart remembered him not simply as a famous donor but as an authentic animal advocate who understood the issues he discussed.
Barker and his longtime companion Nancy Burnet were involved for decades in efforts concerning animals used in entertainment and animals living in captivity.
At PAWS' ARK 2000 sanctuary, his support could be seen in physical facilities and habitats created for animals needing permanent care.
His interests also reached less glamorous animals.
DonkeyLand, a rescue organization in Southern California, credited Barker's foundation with helping purchase nearly 2,000 acres intended to provide permanent sanctuary for wild burros and donkeys. His foundation also supported sterilization efforts intended to manage populations humanely.
There was a consistency to all these projects.
Whether the animal was a dog, cat, whale, elephant, bear, donkey or sea lion, Barker's underlying principle remained similar: humans had a responsibility to reduce unnecessary suffering.
His Final Plan
Then came the last chapter.
Barker died at his Los Angeles home on August 26, 2023. He was 99, just months away from his 100th birthday.
But even his death did not bring his charitable giving to an end.
His longtime representative Roger Neal said after Barker's death that the bulk of Barker's estate was intended for more than 40 nonprofit organizations, particularly animal-related causes and military charities.
Among organizations publicly identified in reports were DonkeyLand Rescue and Sea Shepherd, along with United Activists for Animal Rights and other nonprofit groups.
Subsequent evidence confirmed that at least some of those planned gifts were indeed being distributed.
In 2024, Horse Plus Humane Society in Tennessee announced that it had received a $100,000 bequest from Barker's estate. The organization said it was one of 40 animal and military charities benefiting from the estate.
That gift is important because it provides more than a general report about Barker's intentions.
It shows his estate plan turning into real financial support after his death.
Decades earlier, Barker had already discussed his intention to make charity central to his estate.