Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration recently welcomed three California sea lion pups and wants the public’s help in naming them! The aquarium is holding a contest to find the perfect names for the playful pups – one male and two females – that arrived on May 16. The chosen names will be announced during their first birthday party on August 27 at 11 a.m. at the aquarium.
The contest consists of several parts. First, the public can submit name ideas through the aquarium’s Web site, mysticaquarium.org, through August 12. From these suggestions, the aquarium’s animal care staff and celebrity judges – WFSB-TV meteorologist and “Better Connecticut” co-host Scot Haney, Miss Connecticut 2009 Sharalynn Kuziak and UConn Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun – will choose five finalist names for each pup. From August 17 to 24, the public can go back online to vote for their favorite names. The winning names will be announced on August 27 at the pups’ first birthday celebration, featuring cake for guests and a fish “dessert” for the pups.
“We are thrilled to have the pups here,” said Dr. Tracy Romano, senior vice president of research and zoological operations for Sea Research Foundation, Inc. “Our guests will be able to watch them develop physically and through their training, and learn more about these intelligent animals. The naming contest also provides the perfect opportunity to tell these pups’ stories and remind everyone of the important animal rescue and rehabilitation work that Mystic and other aquariums around the world do. We encourage the public to submit name ideas that reflect these pups’ stories.”
The male pup was approximately six months old when he was rescued in Morro Bay Harbor in San Luis Obispo County and brought to The Marine Mammal Center in December 2008. He was treated for malnutrition and pneumonia and released back into the wild, but re-stranded several times, and was found surrounded by people. Even after being relocated, the pup found his way back to Morro Bay, where he remained for several days and lost more weight.
The two female pups come from SeaWorld San Diego’s Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Program. One was rescued in February at Ocean Beach in San Diego and the other from Oceanside Harbor in Oceanside in January. Both pups were malnourished and dehydrated. All three recovered well during rehabilitation and were brought to the aquarium for enhancement of the species.
The pups will remain permanent residents of the aquarium and are currently housed in the Aquatic Animal Study Center, which can be viewed from the Gurdon and Kathy Wattles Marine Mammal Observatory. The male will eventually join the other California sea lions in the aquarium’s daily Marine Theater shows, and the two females will join the Steller sea lions in the Pribilof Islands exhibit.
Visit mysticaquarium.org to learn more about the pups and submit your name ideas.
About The Marine Mammal Center
The Marine Mammal Center is a nonprofit veterinary hospital, research and educational center dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of ill and injured marine mammals – primarily elephant seals, harbor seals and California sea lions – and to the study of their health. Since 1975, the Center has been headquartered in the Marin Headlands, within the Golden Gate National Parks and has rescued and treated more than 14,000 marine mammals. The Center’s newly rebuilt headquarters in Sausalito gives visitors the unique opportunity to learn about marine mammals through animal rehabilitation, meal preparation and post mortem viewing platforms, as well as educational exhibits. The Marine Mammal Center is open to the public every day 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. For more information, visit MarineMammalCenter.org.
About SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego is one of 10 Worlds of Discovery operated by Busch Entertainment Corporation, the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Other Worlds of Discovery include SeaWorld parks in Orlando, Fla. and San Antonio; Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa, Fla. and Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove in Orlando; Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa. near Philadelphia; Aquatica, SeaWorld’s water park in Orlando; and water parks Adventure Island in Tampa and Water Country USA in Williamsburg. Worlds of Discovery, based in Orlando, play host to more than 25 million guests each year and employ more than 21,000 people nationwide. Leaders in conservation and education, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove care for the largest animal collection in the world and offer an education Web site especially for students and teachers at www.seaworld.org. Information on the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is at www.swbg-conservationfund.org. General park information is found at www.seaworld.com.
About Sea Research Foundation, Inc.
Mystic Aquarium, Institute for Exploration and Immersion Presents are divisions of Sea Research Foundation, Inc., a private, non-profit 501(c)3 organization in Connecticut. The mission of Sea Research is to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through education, research and exploration.
