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Miller Park Zoo otter Chloe dies of cancer
By Bob Holliday
bholliday@pantagraph.com
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BLOOMINGTON -- Chloe is gone but not forgotten. The Miller Park Zoo river otter, which was thought to be pregnant, has died of liver cancer, zoo officials said Wednesday afternoon.

“There were no pups at all, just a tumor,” said John Tobias, zoo superintendent.

Chloe, 10, will be missed by zoo staff and visitors, but at least the end came quickly, he said.

At 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Chloe continued to exhibit the normal appearance and behavior of a pregnant otter, but about 11 a.m., her condition rapidly declined, Tobias said. She apparently found it increasingly hard to rest comfortably and her eyes became glassy, he said.

She was taken to a veterinarian clinic, where she died during examination.

“It was determined by the doctors that she had liver cancer that had spread throughout her organs. The condition was not treatable,” zoo officials said in a news release.

The cancer wasn’t discovered earlier because Chloe’s behavior and appearance before Wednesday morning mimicked that of a pregnant otter, Tobias said.

“After reviewing the husbandry manual published by the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums), it was determined she should not be physically examined by a veterinarian,” he said.

A subdued Tobias said he will miss Chloe, and it was uncertain whether the zoo will get another otter to keep the 3-year-old male otter, Ozzie, company.

“We’ll have to look to see if any are available, if there’s a waiting list and if we can afford it,” Tobias said.

If the zoo is able to get another otter, Tobias would prefer a younger female otter. “We’d like to breed otters here,” Tobias said.

Chloe, he said, will be cremated, which is standard practice.

Tobias wasn’t the only one sad Wednesday.

Zookeeper Wendy Klessig, who was feeding Ozzie fish in an afternoon feeding, said: “It’s a sad day. We were all hoping for babies.”

Klessig said she suspects Ozzie, who scampered after fish as if nothing had happened, will miss Chloe in a day or two.

The otters had become celebrities of sorts, thanks to a webcam set up to allow Internet users to watch Chloe and the pups people hoped for. The webcam had 225,000 hits since it was launched Friday.

This is the second time recently that the public had hoped for a baby at the zoo and been disappointed.

Last year, there was excitement about bald eagle eggs at the zoo, but one of Beauty’s eggs disappeared and the other was infertile.

Still, Tobias hopes people remember the joy Chloe brought them.

“I hope people enjoyed seeing her and will miss her,” he said.

Take a look
Miller Park Zoo's female American river otter, Chloe, is seen in this April 1, 2008 file photo at the zoo in Bloomington. (Pantagraph/CARLOS T. MIRANDA)
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Reader comments on this story - 48 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

fishpoop wrote on Apr 21, 2008 12:29 PM:

" have you ever noticed that every time the zoo turns on the webcam bad things happen? I think the webcams produce a wave just like cell phones and cause tumors and unfertile eggs. "

fishpoop wrote on Apr 21, 2008 12:27 PM:

" To Devil: Thanks for the laugh though I know a lot of people didn't like it I think it was funny. Thanks I needed that. "

dirkdavebigalow wrote on Apr 20, 2008 12:42 AM:

" It's such a sad story. They should put her in with the seals so she does not get lonely. "

anchor wrote on Apr 19, 2008 9:56 AM:

" To G Larson - Seems like I hit a nerve. You sure did take, "Read a book" and ran with it. Typical of you otter-watching radicals! Free Tibet!! (there, see what you can do with that). "

cocoa wrote on Apr 17, 2008 7:33 PM:

" To: Normal - I'm a Cubs fan and found your post very funny! Thanks for the laugh out loud moment - I appreciate it. :) "

Normal wrote on Apr 12, 2008 11:55 AM:

" Hey CubFan1, Regarding: "Me, I won't show any of the webcam stuff to them until they are sure that something good is going to come out of it."

Better not let them watch any Cub's games then - until you're sure something good is going to come of it. Not everything has a happy ending. "

OlyStudent08 wrote on Apr 11, 2008 12:34 PM:

" Chloe the otter was my favorite animal at the Zoo! and to think i thought she was just "sleeping" when i was watching the webcam wednesday morning. One of the greatest losses this area has seen in awhile. "

mizer wrote on Apr 10, 2008 8:53 PM:

" To:

Townie here...

If Ozzie dies as you suggest, do you think he will be on the webcam as well?

"

What now? wrote on Apr 10, 2008 5:09 PM:

" With animals most of the time it is impossible to examine them a when they are pregnant, injured or sick. In most cases a wild animal will exhibit the same sysmptoms for all. The animal will be come protective. In most cases the animal will likely miscarrige if handle too much. This is why I am guessing they chose to monitor from a distance. "

Freedm Aint Free wrote on Apr 10, 2008 4:04 PM:

" So sad that Chloe is gone. May she swim happily in otter heaven.

BTW, can you give an otter an ultrasound? How long is the otter-gestational period? I'm just surprised that a possible zoo pregnancy wasn't monitored more closely. I don't want to assume anyone fell short of their responsibilities of course, that's not what I imply, but a lot of questions are raised in my own mind about the whole process of taking care of otters. (maybe even enough to visit my local zoo more often). I read that there is a "manual" that's consulted. Perhaps it's time for an updated approach for a better success rate. "

New Nana wrote on Apr 10, 2008 2:31 PM:

" Very sad...I hope she didn't suffer! "

bethb31 wrote on Apr 10, 2008 1:44 PM:

" R I P ....Chloe "

Townie here... wrote on Apr 10, 2008 12:55 PM:

" :o( I love the otters...Please get him a friend soon...Ozzie is likely to be very lonely and god forbid, he die out of depression. "

HappyInIllinois wrote on Apr 10, 2008 10:15 AM:

" Wow, this is really sad, Have to admit my kids were looking forward to going to the zoo this summer to see the baby otters....They were really bumbed when they heard about her dying....Hope the zoo can find another otter, they are one of the more interesting exhibits at the zoo.. "

lindini wrote on Apr 10, 2008 10:05 AM:

" Wow... that is a downer. "

CubFan1 wrote on Apr 10, 2008 9:47 AM:

" While I feel sorry for the otter, I found this story somewhat funny. When is the zoo going to stop hyping all of these events, when they don't know the actual condition of the animals? I'm sure the parents with kids who are into watching this activity on the Internet are overjoyed at the fact that they have to explain these facts of life/death to their children. Me, I won't show any of the webcam stuff to them until they are sure that something good is going to come out of it. "

Seymour Butz wrote on Apr 10, 2008 7:36 AM:

" To Devil's Advocate: I really feel sorry for you. Your attempt at humor is not appreciated. Why don't you go back to work or actually find a job and quit polluting the blog with your sick sense of humor. "

3mom wrote on Apr 10, 2008 6:31 AM:

" I read that Chloe was 10. How long was she at Miller Park Zoo? My son , who is also 10, enjoyed watching her and her playmate. I hope the Zoo is able to obtain another otter at a cost they can afford. "

jipsi wrote on Apr 10, 2008 12:14 AM:

" This story saddened me with its tragic irony.
To be joyful and expectant over the hope of new life... only to have that gladness dashed by finding out, posthumously, that it was cancer, slowly killing Chloe, instead.

The most agonizing part for me is, having lost friends and family to cancer, was the poor thing in PAIN all this time??? While we humans were cooing and clapping over her "condition", were we also terribly ignorant of the real fact that she was in excruciating pain?
As someone said, her "happily rolling about" might actually have been her "writhing in pain"... and we watched and smiled in ignorance.
I know the "signs" were there, but I can't believe there were not ALSO signs of cancer... I suppose I would rather they have "stressed" Chloe out that little bit, to x-ray or test her, to be sure.
Hope little Ozzie can get past the lonliness and grief that will surely hit him in the days ahead, when he realizes Chloe's not coming back... ;-(
(Did anyone else here ever read the otter novel "Ring of Bright Water"? Suppose that's where my particular otter-sentimentality comes from...) "

jipsi wrote on Apr 10, 2008 12:04 AM:

" THINK TO EXIST: You're not "thinking" clearly at the moment, because if you were, you would see MANY of the same names that are expressing SADNESS here are the same that expressed SYMPATHIES for the human you must be referring to.
I am an animal lover, among millions of others, and have the capacity to be extremely touched by relationships with companion animals. When a 'celebrity' (such as zoo, circus or television/film) animal is involved, the tragedy is not so great 'personally', but there IS sadness.

Again, you will also notice there are as many, if not MORE, people here making heartless and insensitive remarks and jokes. For you to think that this area SHOULD be devoid of comment (in respect for? I'm lost...) because a person or persons died... and when does that period of "people-mourning" stop? when people stop dying? will missing or grieving over an animal EVER be okay, at this rate?
Evidently your grief and loss is still great, as would be expected, but it is not fair of you to condemn a wholly separate "roomful" of strangers because they are not mourning with YOU (in fact, when many HAVE already) ... "

G. Larson wrote on Apr 9, 2008 8:56 PM:

" to not so political: you ask if everything that lives, or is born, will die? errr, yeah, things that live, are absolutely guaranteed, before anything else, to die. Is this really even necessary to explain? Death is the one and only thing a living creature is guaranteed. I understand wondering why they seem to so much in this one location, but you have to understand that things like this happen in the wild on a very very regular basis. The only difference here is that these animals in question are able to be observed by us constantly, while we are relatively unaware of it occurring in the middle of the forest or whatnot. Chances are, these animals at the zoo still suffer such things far less than the same species in the wild, not to mention a total lack of predators to be eaten by before such things even have a chance to occur. But it still sucks to watch it all. Its cool that everyone cares though. "

cub wrote on Apr 9, 2008 8:50 PM:

" makes the old otter cam pretty boring. maybe you can move it to another boring animal exibit where maybe something is living. "

G. Larson wrote on Apr 9, 2008 8:41 PM:

" Guys, with all due respect, animal medicine done by a human (as animals, of course, can't practice medicine themselves) will always be considerably more imperfect than human medicine done by humans. Really, it makes perfect sense. If you are a medical expert of some kind, you are also first a human. Anything the doctor may want to know about a human, for the most part, he already knows about himself. Also, HUMANS CAN SPEAK. Ever had a doctor ask you questions, of any kind whatsoever? Do you think an animal will respond if asked the same questions? So Chloe was explaining in clear English that something hurt, how exactly it hurt, where exactly it hurt, and what she might have been doing beforehand? Also, she was able to respond with a "yes" or "no", once asked if she had copulated? Seriously, folks, a little logic here. I mean, are we otters, or humans? Lets engage that rarely-used gray matter slushing around our skulls, for at least five minutes or more a day. "

G. Larson wrote on Apr 9, 2008 6:19 PM:

" to anchor: so, according to you, the viewing of any educational material recorded on any medium besides paper and in only in word form is in every way completely frivolous and unnecessary? Ironically, you suggest reading a book as the most intelligent thing a person could do, which would technically cause a person to miss what is happening around him, directly threatening his potential for intelligence. If I read a book on zebras, hoping to learn all I can about them, but miss the herd that runs right by me, then your "advice" becomes pretty absurd. Also, the only possible way for a person to write a book on, say, otters, IS TO OBSERVE THE REAL THING, just as we were doing with this camera. This cam was nothing short of virtual field research. So, any other completely unnecessary and illogical complaints to present to those that you say should be reading a book, rather than your own words? Also, what are YOU doing wasting your precious intelligence commenting anonymously on the pantagraph.com, of all places? Hey, some advice: get off the internet, and READ A BOOK (strange, weren't those your words?). Oh, the absurdity... "

kellbelle wrote on Apr 9, 2008 6:16 PM:

" I'll miss watching Chloe! Watching her was one of the few bright spots in the day after reading about some of the horrible things going on the world. She made me and my 3 year old smile. "

cocoa wrote on Apr 9, 2008 6:09 PM:

" to: THINK TO EXIST ~ Um, can't people have sympathy for a dying otter AND a dying human? Speaking for myself, I prefer animals over people, but I do still manage to have sympathy for people that are dying of cancer as well as otters.

to: anchor ~ Some people like otter cams, some people prefer books. Who are you to judge someone based on their choice to follow a news story about an otter?

Sheesh, just when you think people can't get any more judgmental or nasty on these boards, you're proven wrong. "

PJKEMRO wrote on Apr 9, 2008 5:59 PM:

" :( blah "

G. Larson wrote on Apr 9, 2008 5:59 PM:

" My heart sunk when I had spotted the headline. Of course, I don't think animals experience quite the same emotional misery we as humans do over basic suffering...okay, I have to: "think to exist", besides being struck by a suspicion that your chosen name is nothing but painfully ironic, I would suggest you are completely missing a very fundamental moral experience quite alot, if not nearly all, humans have regarding animals. This is essentially that animals are, for all intents and purposes, completely "innocent" in regards to human morality, while pretty much every human ever, to some extent, is extremely "guilty" of very disgusting behavior. Put simply, humans seem to deserve their suffering as a punishment, while animals simply do not. Ultimately, its no different than our feelings over children being hurt or hurting: we all feel on some level that they are too innocent to deserve it, while no adult is even close to the same. Granted, that said, its nothing short of absurd to neglect human suffering while worrying about animals'. "

earl wrote on Apr 9, 2008 5:29 PM:

" Didn't something like this happen the last time the zoo set up a web-cam? I think it was for the eagle eggs. That episode turned out to be a dud too. I think the zoo should stop setting up web-cams ..... it's just asking for trouble. "

flex remmington wrote on Apr 9, 2008 5:16 PM:

" so much for baby otter watch 2008
"

anchor wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:59 PM:

" So...shouldn't the Zoo Vets be able to tell if an otter is pregnant or dying of cancer? Or was it both things (she was pregnant AND dying of cancer)? Also....yikes...there is an otter-cam and people are WATCHING IT?!?!?!? Read a book people. "

THINK TO EXIST wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:57 PM:

" Here we go again!! Look how much sympathy you all have for an otto! And some of you have absolutely no sympathy for a human who loses his/her life in the twin city. SHAME SHAME SHAME "

vzbb wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:51 PM:

" Water Otter "

pebbles wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:41 PM:

" There is only so much the zoo can do. All signs pointed to pregnancy, so I imagine they didn't want to stress her out unnecessarily. "

Hozer wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:41 PM:

" To Chelly: that tossing and turning was probably just the otter writhing in pain. "

Citizen wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:38 PM:

" Wow... The real question is how do I explain this to my 4 year old who was so excited to see the otter babies. "

me wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:29 PM:

" i just walked threw the door and logged on to see how Chloe was doing and then I saw this headline. this is so sad. we go to the zoo every saturday and my boy always wants to go see his otters. i was just looking at the web cam last night. this is really heartbreaking. "

Momof2 wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:07 PM:

" Thank's Devils Advocate..your caring attitude just warms my heart :) "

justaperson wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:06 PM:

" Hey Devil's Advocate..... I think I married her!!!! "

Madoc wrote on Apr 9, 2008 4:05 PM:

" That is sooo sad, I hope they find a mate for Ozzie soon. My only concern is how the zoo could have allowed this poor otter to go so long with cancer thinking it was pregnancy, is there any sort of checkup the zoo does for its animals? "

ADC wrote on Apr 9, 2008 3:54 PM:

" Awww that is horrible news. I was just checking back to see how she was doing and hoping on good news!! I hope they get another one to keep him company. "

TheProf wrote on Apr 9, 2008 3:50 PM:

" wow, what a twist of events...hey she gonna have a baby...nope she just died of cancer... "

dwarf wrote on Apr 9, 2008 3:36 PM:

" Aww, poor otter... "

BJ wrote on Apr 9, 2008 3:16 PM:

" This is so sad - was looking forward to something good happening. "

Chelly wrote on Apr 9, 2008 3:04 PM:

" Poor Chloe. It was fun seeing her toss and turn on the Otter Cam. "

Devil's Advocate wrote on Apr 9, 2008 2:59 PM:

" Same thing happened to my sister. Everyone thought she was pregnant. It turned out she was just fat. "

noone wrote on Apr 9, 2008 2:54 PM:

" That is so sad, poor little Ozzie. hope the zoo finds a mate for him soon. "

WorkinTheOpinionBoard wrote on Apr 9, 2008 2:50 PM:

" Aaw poor Chloe! I enjoyed watching the otters. I hope the little fella she was with doesn't get too lonely. :( "
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