Name that otter pup! | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Name that otter pup!

click to enlarge Name that otter pup!
The Oregon Zoo
We interrupt your workday with this very important message. There's a rescued otter pup that needs your help...choosing a name.

Before your creative juices start flowing, keep in mind it's not an entirely open-ended question. The fine folks at the Oregon Zoo have narrowed it down to three options.

“A lot of the animals here get their names from nations or cultures associated with the species’ native habitats,” said Julie Christie, senior keeper for the zoo’s North America area, in a release. “For the river otters, we like to choose names based on local waterways.”

The choices include: 

· J.R. Papenfus: a creek in Lane County near the location where the pup was found. (JR is for junior, since a creek is junior to a river.)

· Little Pudding (nickname: LP): a tributary of the Pudding River, joining the main stem west of Mt. Angel.

· Hobson: a creek named for John Hobson, a Clatsop County pioneer who opened a salmon cannery near Tillamook.

Voting is open at oregonzoo.org for the next week.

According to the Oregon Zoo, the otter pup was rescued from the side of Highway 58, where he was wandering near Cottage Grove. After a brief stint at the Chintimini Wildlife Center in Corvallis, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife determined that the little guy wouldn't make it in the wild alone and reserved him a spot at the Oregon Zoo once he recovers. Zoo officials say they hope the pup will bond with adult rescues Tilly and B.C.

“B.C. has always been good around young otters, so we’re hopeful that the introduction will go swimmingly,” Christie said.

Need to see the pup in action to decide on a suitable moniker? Check out the adorable video footage below then tell us what name you chose.




Erin Rook

Erin was a writer and editor at the Source from 2013 to 2016.
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