Help NC aquarium name three adorable new otter pups

KURE BEACH, New Hanover County — A North Carolina aquarium is asking people to help name a trio of baby otters born in May.

The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher said with staff input, the otter team has narrowed down the choices to four trios of names.

“The team at the Aquarium researched and shared meaningful naming ideas based on the native habitat of Asian small-clawed otters and the unique circumstances of when they were born. We’re sharing the top four trios of names and asking our community to vote for their favorite,” said otter keeper Shannon Anderson.

Anderson said the pups were born during a full moon, King Tide and a storm, and Asian small-clawed otters are native to Indonesia, southern China, southern India, Southeast Asia and the Philippines.

Taking those factors into account, she said the names they’ve chosen include:

• Stella, Mae and Selene (moon, Thailand moon goddess and goddess of the moon)
• Padma, Bulan and Melati (Indonesia’s three national flowers—the Giant Padma, Anggrek Bulan, the moth orchid; and Melati Putih, the Arabian Jasmine)
• Tala, Reyna and Ula (bright star, queen and small one)
• Java, Bali and Nusa (Volcanic islands in Indonesia)

Related: NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher welcomes three new otter pups

Voting is open online at Name the Otter Pups, by QR code on the screens at the Aquarium and at the Otters on the Edge habitat with advanced tickets required to visit the NCAFF. Reserve tickets HERE.

Asian small-clawed otters are the smallest of the otter species and are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. Anderson said their population numbers are declining because of many threats, including residential and commercial development, deforestation, the illegal pet trade, pollution, climate change, and poaching.

“Our hope is that by discovering more about Asian small-clawed otters, our community will both celebrate how special they are and take individual actions to prioritize their conservation,” said Anderson.

It won’t be long before the pups will be on display. Anderson said they have reached some important milestones and preparations are underway to introduce them to their public habitat.

Stay up with the pups by following their journey on Facebook and Instagram using #OtterPupsNCAFF.