Orphaned Sea Otter Pup 'Reaching Milestones Every Day'

By Bay City News Service

Three months after being found stranded on a San Mateo County beach, an orphaned baby sea otter whose furry face has gone viral finally has a name.

The otter pup formerly referred to by animal rescuers as Pup 681 is now called Luna, representatives from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago announced recently.

The new name was chosen from one of more than 10,000 votes were tallied in the “Name the Sea Otter Pup” contest that ended on Thursday, aquarium officials said. Other name options included Cali, Ellie, Poppy and Ana.

The animal’s new name was announced Friday on Good Morning America and during a special event at Shedd Aquarium, where Luna has lived for more than a month since being transferred from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Wildlife rescuers brought the animal to the Bay Area facility after a passerby walking near Coastways Beach in San Mateo County heard the pup’s cries.

Luna was transferred to the Shedd Aquarium in late October, where a specialized marine mammal team has worked to teach the orphaned pup how to be a sea otter.

When it first arrived at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the newborn pup weighed in at about 1 kg.

Today, Shedd Aquarium representatives said in a statement that Luna now weighs 11 pounds and is “successfully reaching new milestones everyday including diving, foraging for food, grooming on her own and most recently the animal care team introduced four types of seafood to her diet.”

The aquarium is one of a handful of aquariums in the country equipped to care for orphaned baby otters and has agreed to be Luna’s permanent home.

The public can find the latest updates on the growing sea otter pup at www.sheddaquarium.org/sheddpup.