Help name the Oregon Zoo's new otter pups - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2

Photo: Oregon Zoo — One week-old river otter pups during a health check in Cascade Stream and Pond. © Oregon Zoo / photo by Michael Durham

Portland, Ore. – The Oregon Zoo is asking for the public’s help naming two 4-week-old river otter pups.

The zoo said the pups, one male and one female, now weigh about two pounds each and are taking their first tentative steps.

“The little ones haven’t opened their eyes yet, but they’re growing fast and getting more mobile,” said Julie Christie, senior keeper for the zoo’s North America section. “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.”

Keepers said they like to name otters based on waterways to highlight the importance of protecting rivers, streams and wetlands.

For the female pup, keepers are considering the following names and nicknames:

Abiqua (Abby): a Pudding River tributary originating in the Cascades foothills near Lookout Mountain.
Calapooia (Cali): a Willamette tributary that flows generally northwest from its source near Tidbits Mountain.
Nehalem (Nellie): a river that flows nearly 120 miles from the Coast Range down to Nehalem Bay.

For the male:

Nestucca (Tucker): a forested river near the coast, known for its steelhead and salmon.
John Day (J.D.): a Columbia tributary that is undammed along its entire 284 miles — the third-longest free-flowing river in the contiguous U.S.
Wallooskee (Skeeter): a 10-mile tributary of the Youngs River in northwest Oregon.

The pups mother, Tilly, was named after the Tillamook River. She was found orphaned when she was 4-months-old.

One zoo official recalled, “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.”

You can vote for your favorite name HERE.

Votes will be accepted through Wednesday, April 5. The winning names will be announced the next day.