The Roger Williams Park Zoo shared heartbreaking news Monday: Romo, its beloved giant otter, has died at 14.
Romo had been slowing down in recent months — eating less, resting more, and adjusting to life without his brother and lifelong companion, Fernando, who died earlier this year. Keepers noticed the changes right away and began monitoring him closely.
Veterinarians later discovered cancer in Romo’s spleen. Oral chemotherapy helped for a while, giving him several more months of comfort, but his health took a sudden turn last week. An emergency exam showed the cancer had spread, and the zoo made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him on Dec. 6, with his caretakers by his side.
Romo wasn’t the showboat of the pair — that was Fernando — but he won hearts with his quieter, curious personality and eagerness to connect with his keepers.
The zoo says Romo and Fernando inspired thousands of visitors to appreciate giant otters and the ecosystems they depend on. Their memory, the zoo wrote, “lives on in the work we do every day.”
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