LONG BEACH, Calif. (CNS) — A sea otter pup who was abandoned by his mother in the Carmel-by-the-Sea area has taken up residence at Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, officials announced Wednesday, and aquarium staff are looking to the public for help choosing a name for their newest denizen.
The male pup was found April 12 and taken to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where the staff had hoped to pair him with a surrogate mother and eventually release him into the wild. But that effort proved unsuccessful, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined the pup could not be released.
As a result, the pup was brought to Aquarium of the Pacific, where he was paired with an adult sea otter named Chloe so he could acclimate to his new home. The 4-month-old pup is now in a regular rotation in the Sea Otter Habitat — along with four other pups who have come to the aquarium since December.
Aquarium officials are now looking for a name for the pup. Through the aquarium’s Adopt an Animal program, people who contribute a minimum of $100 can suggest a name. If it is chosen by the aquarium staff, the person who proposed it will be invited to take part in a feeding and training session with one of the animals at the facility.
Details on the program are available at pacific.to/adoptpup.
The arrival of the pup comes just weeks after the death of an aquarium sea otter named Betty in honor of actress Betty White. The otter came to the aquarium as a pup in 2012, and met White when the actress and long-time animal advocate visited the aquarium to mark her 90th birthday that year.