July 11, 2024 UPDATE: The votes are in, and the public has spoken! Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has named the baby sea lion born last month after asking zoo visitors and the community to weigh in among four names. The new pup’s name is Pepper.
Kids rarely get to decide the name of a new family member; usually, the parents make that decision.
Not so in a zoo. When a new baby animal is born, zookeepers, and sometimes zoo visitors, get to decide what it will be called. And that’s exactly what’s happened at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium last month. The zoo asked community members, young and old, to cast their votes on what the sea lion born on June 6 should be named. The baby, the first offspring of mom Eloise, is also the first sea lion born at the zoo in its 119-year history.
CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE VIDEO of new sea lion pup at Point Defiance Zoo. Video posted on YouTube
Baby doing well
Members of the public were invited to vote for one of four names chosen by keepers in the Rocky Shores area of the zoo. That’s where the pup has been nursing and growing since her birth. According to zoo officials, sea lion pups don’t take the sea, or in this case, a sea lion exhibits waterway, for some time. That means the baby will remain out of sight for a time while she explores mere inches of water. The pup will join the sea lion community and pool later this summer.
Right now, says zoo curator Jen DeGroot, “Eloise has been giving her pup ‘swimming lessons’ in shallow water. She is
a fast learner.”
Because a sea lion baby’s first few weeks are critical, and this little one had an early respiratory concern, the zoo’s sea lion keepers continue to monitor the pup around the clock.
“The long hours are rewarding when we see the success of our planning and the milestones the pup is reaching,” explained DeGroot.
Meet Pepper! Photo courtesy Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Names with meaning
Here are the names that zookeepers chose as possible options for the new pup:
- Rosa, named for the Santa Rosa sea lions in the Channel Islands off California
- Marnie, meaning “of the sea”
- Nori, a type of seaweed
- Pepper, because keepers say the pup was “strong and feisty” even while fighting off
a respiratory infection
Voting closed on July 7. And on July 11, the zoo announced the winner. The new sea lion has been named Pepper.
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