LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of the Louisville Zoo's newest members now has a proper name. Meet Finsbay (Fins-bee), the Zoo's gray seal pup. Zoo guests chose the name as part of the "Help Us Name The Seal Pup" vote sponsored by T-Mobile.

Glacier Run's zookeepers suggested three names for the pup, who was born in December — Finsbay, Oban, and NOAA. Tacy Unger, a zookeeper at the Louisville Zoo for 10 years, presented the winning name.

“It made sense to choose something meaningful to the species, and this town is known for harbor and gray seals,” said Unger. “I am so excited that it won! Thank you for your votes! Now, we can call him by his name as we begin his training.”

Guests can keep up with Finsbay by watching the Zoo's Saturday Seal "Pup-dates" sponsored by T-Mobile on the Zoo's website and social media channels. More info on the pup is also available online.

The name Finsbay comes from thousands of miles away. Unger chose the name based on the fact that the natural habitat for gray seals includes the coasts of the Northern Atlantic Ocean including Scotland. Off the western coast of Scotland is a group of islands called the Outer Hebrides, and Finsbay is a town in that group of islands. Finsbay is known for its trout, arctic char, sea trout, and salmon fishing, making it a logical stopping point for harbor and gray seals. The seals can be seen basking there all year round and return to land to molt near Finsbay in February through April. Finsbay is located south of the island of Rona, which is the origin of the Zoo's seal Rona's name.

The seal pregnancy was a planned part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for gray seals. Breeding plans work to maintain the genetic diversity of managed animal populations.

Eight seal pups have been born at the Zoo, including twin seal pups in 1979. They were the first twins to be documented in a managed system like a zoo.