A Boy, an Octopus, a Keeper, and the Magic of Zoo Membership

This story starts with a heartfelt letter from a four-year-old boy to Zoo Animal Keeper Mark Rehling and finds them reuniting as professionals two decades later. This story illustrates the power of membership in nurturing interests and opening doors through regular access to the Zoo. This is the story of Dr. Cameron Stewart and Juliet the octopus.

A bit of background: octopuses go through a process called senescence, which is a sign that the end of their life is approaching. This last phase of their life cycle occurs in males after mating and in females after laying or hatching eggs, and manifests itself through a number of symptoms including lack of feeding, deterioration of the skin, and loss of coordination.

Cameron Stewart (left) and Aquatics Keeper Mark Rehling

In 2002, female octopus Puddin’ entered senescence after laying around 50,000 eggs. Zoo members and regular visitors, Cameron Stewart’s family read a newspaper article about it – and four-year-old Cameron was particularly upset to learn of her fate. "I cried and cried,” he said, “and my mom said the only way she could console me was to encourage me to write a letter to the Zoo to tell them how I felt about the octopus.”

His message, scrawled in purple crayon, included a drawing of Puddin’ and the words, “I love you.” Aquatics Keeper Mark Rehling was touched by the kind letter to an animal that is often met with trepidation and, sometimes, disgust. “It's often, ‘Eww’ as opposed to, ‘Aww.’ So it was special. It was nice.”

He reached out to Stewart and asked for his help in naming the Zoo’s new octopus. Stewart chose “Juliet,” and he and his family visited her often. “The excitement of his family was palatable,” Rehling said, “which was glorious. As a keeper, you want guests to appreciate the animals and share your excitement.”

Stewart is currently a veterinarian with a focus on zoo animals.

Fast forward to 2023. Stewart, now a veterinary student at The Ohio State University, secured a summer research project at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo with Zoo Epidemiologist Dr. Pam Dennis, who was also one of his professors.

“He approached me with great enthusiasm, as is common in Cam,” she recalled. “He was super persistent. And he was interested in everything.”

Dennis asked him about his earliest Zoo memory, and when Stewart told her about Puddin’ and Juliet, he watched her eyes light up. “I still remember, she stopped. She said, ‘Mark is here – he still works here.’”

Cue dramatic music and lights as Stewart and Rehling reunited, and Rehling got to see where Stewart’s early interest in – and access to – Zoo animals led him.

Rehling said the recognition was swift. "As soon as he said his name, I’m like, what?!” He continued, “It’s a dream shot - to be able to influence someone, just through what you do. Someone reaches out, you’ve got to reach back. You have to fan that spark, and here, it worked. He’s a vet now.”

Now a small animal veterinarian with a focus on zoo animals, Dr. Stewart is completing a veterinary fellowship through Tufts University to strengthen his skills as a clinician. Next, he hopes to pursue a residency in zoo and wildlife medicine. He credits his Zoo membership and the frequent visits it made possible for nurturing his interests in animals and science, and affording him tangible examples of potential career paths.

"The Zoo is a magical place where as a kid, I could see and learn about all the animals in my books. We visited every weekend, and I do believe that without those weekends I spent at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, without the connections I made with the amazing staff, I wouldn’t have found my love for conservation and animals.”

The value of Zoo membership is so much more than a calculation of visits and costs. It gives members a sense of investment – it's your Zoo – and an opportunity to truly be part of its story. Zoo visits are the stuff of fond family memories, and for many, the foundation of future interests and achievements.

Zoo News 2.0: The Magic of Zoo Membership