A young sea otter that arrived at SeaWorld a few months ago has been given a stellar new name by the public who decided Nova would be the best-fit name for her.
Nova the sea otter endured difficulty in her young life and had to be rescued two times before U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service determined she was “non-releasable.”
Initially, she was found stranded without a mother in March 2018 on a beach in Cambria. Animal care specialists from Monterey Bay Aquarium rescued her and paired her with an adult female otter to act as her surrogate mother. About a year later, the young sea otter, who was known as MBA #820-18 at the time, was released back into the wild with a tracking transmitter.
After enduring challenges throughout her travel, little Nova was again rescued by Monterey Bay Aquarium to improve her chances of survival. She eventually made a full recovery but was ultimately deemed non-releasable by USFWS.
In March, Nova was taken to SeaWorld San Diego, where “she is thriving and getting to know the other sea otters at Otter Outlook,” according to animal care specialists. She is in great health and eating about 20% of her weight, SeaWorld said. Her new poolmates consist of five sea otters whose ages range from 10 months old to 9 years old.
After asking for the public’s input to vote on five different names, MBA #820-18 was officially renamed Nova, a fitting name for a superstar animal who faced challenging circumstances and is now doing much better.
