Oregon Zoo Asks For Help Naming River Otter Pups

PORTLAND, OR –– Oregon Zoo keepers need help deciding what to name two 4-week-old river otters, so they’ve come up with a handful of options and are asking the public to help by voting for their favorites.

Born to rescue otters Tilly and B.C., the male and female pups have taken their first steps so it’s time to give them proper names, zoo officials said in a statement.

“For river otters, we like to choose names based on local waterways,” said Julie Christie, senior keeper for the zoo’s North America section. “River otters are sensitive to water pollution, but we’re fortunate to live in a region that supports a healthy otter population. We want these pups’ names to highlight the importance of protecting our rivers, streams and wetlands.”

Under consideration are Abiqua, Calapooia, and Nehalem for the female pup, and Nestucca, Wallooskee, and John Day for the male. Each of the names come from Oregon waterways.

The public can vote from the short list created by Christie and the other keepers at the Oregon Zoo website until Wednesday, April 5. The zoo will announce the selected names April 6.

“The little ones haven’t opened their eyes yet, but they’re growing fast and getting more mobile,” Christie said. “They usually don’t travel too far when their eyes are closed. We think it’s time to name them before they really start to roam around.”

Found orphaned, wounded, and malnourished near Johnson Creek at 4 months old in 2009, Tilly, the pup’s mother, was named for the Tillamook River, officials said.

Tilly was brought to the Oregon Zoo with help from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife after she recovered.

“She was a tough little otter,” said curator Amy Cutting, who oversees the zoo’s North America section. “She was in really bad shape when she was found, so it’s great to see her doing well now and raising pups of her own. She’s been a terrific mom.”

Tilly’s partner, B.C., was transferred to the Oregon Zoo from the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas in 2010. He was found the previous year near Star City, Ark.

(B.C. is short for Buttercup, which is clearly not an Oregon river name –– though it is the name of an ice cream and chowder shop in Nehalem, Ore., if that helps with voting at all.)

According to zoo officials, because the pair were born in the wild, “they are considered genetically important for the breeding otter population in North American zoos.”

Photo Courtesy: Oregon Zoo