Help Name Two New Sea Otter Pups At Shedd Aqarium

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two rescued sea otter pups at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium need names, and you can help choose!

(Photo credit: ©Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez)

Heading into Sea Otter Awareness Week from Sept. 22 to Sept. 28, the aquarium is hosting a digital naming contest for the two male pups rescued from the coast of California.

The five-month-old pups were found on the coast at just two weeks old with no mother or adult otters in sight. They were rescued by partners at Monterey Bay Aquarium. They were cared for at Monterey before coming to Shedd.

Otter pups 870 and 872, August 20, 2019. (Photo credit: ©Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez)

Since their arrival, the pups have been living behind the scenes at the Regenstein Pup Nursery as animal care staff teach them how to be otters by building skills like foraging, diving and grooming their dense fur.

The to-be-named pups are currently referred to by their intake numbers, Pups 870 and 872.

pups 870 and 872, meeting otter, Kiana (Photo credit: ©Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez)

Name choices all correspond to a location along the coast of California where sea otters can be found. The name choices are:

  • Cooper: named after Cupertino, California, near San Jose
  • Watson: named after the town of Watsonville, near Monterey and Port Watsonville, less than an hour drive from where pup 872 was found
  • Bennett: named after Point Bennett on San Miguel Island, one of the Channel Islands
  • Simon: named after Simonton Cove on San Miguel Island, one of the Channel Islands
  • Obi: short for Obispo of San Luis Obispo

Members of the public can vote as many times as they would like on the Shedd website starting Thursday. Voting ends Saturday, Sept. 28.

(Photo credit: ©Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez)

Winning names will be announced Sept. 30. At that time the pups will be introduced to the Regenstein Sea Otter Habitat, so that public can have its first opportunity to see them during a visit.

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