The late Betty Whites love for animals has long been well known, but one particular act of generosity was mostly untold until this week.

The beloved Golden Girls star paid for a private plane to relocate otters and penguins from Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans in the aftermath of 2005s Hurricane Katrina.

We lost a conservationist, animal advocate, and friend, the Audubon Nature Institute tweeted on Friday , the day White died at the age of 99. When the penguins & sea otters were evacuated to [Monterey Bay Aquarium] for Hurricane Katrina, Betty White paid for the plane to relocate them. She did not ask for fanfare; she just wanted to help.