Balto

Biography

Siberian Husky who rose to fame as the lead sled dog in Gunnar Kaasen's team that arrived in Nome, Alaska, in early February of 1925, delivering vials of serum to the city, then stricken with a diphtheria epidemic. The call went out for the serum in January 1925 from Nome, where children were dying of diphtheria, and at the time, the only way to deliver the serum was by dog sled. Kaasen's team was the last of several involved in a 1,348-mile relay of the serum, during which many dogs died from exhaustion, frostbite and general exposure. Kaasen and his dogs, led by Balto, traveled 106 miles through subzero temperatures and icy blizzards and arrived in Nome in the early morning hours of February 2, 1925. They were the subject of much attention later that day by the press, photographers, and even a French film crew. News of the serum run and the many children saved by the efforts of the men and their dogs spread quickly across the nation and Balto became a heroic symbol to many. A statue of his likeness was erected in Central Park in New York City as well as in Anchorage, Alaska. He was even cast in a few Hollywood movies of the day and with other members of the teams, he eventually became a part of a one-of-a-kind exhibit in a Cleveland Zoo. Late in his life, he suffered increasing blindness, arthritis, and general effects of old age and was euthanized on March 14, 1933. His body was preserved for display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.