Take a Swim with Oregon Zoo's Orphaned Sea Otter Pup

The Oregon Zoo gave a unique view of its orphaned sea otter pup, Lincoln, going for a swim in a video released on Tuesday, December 19. The footage shows Lincoln diving and swimming under water.The pup arrived at the zoo earlier this month after residing at the Monterey Bay Aquarium since his rescue in October, when he was just two weeks old. Lincoln, who is now two months old, could not be paired with a surrogate mother, so the US Fish and Wildlife Service deemed him non-releasable, and he was moved to the Oregon Zoo.The pup was originally named 805, the number assigned to him by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s rescue and care program, but the Oregon Zoo announced earlier this week the pup would be named Lincoln. The name is intended to draw attention to how sea otters used to live along Oregon’s coast, specifically near Lincoln City. There’s an area along the coast in Lincoln County known as Otter Rock.Sea otters became extinct along Oregon’s coast in the early 1900s, according to the zoo. There have been a few sightings in the last few years, specifically in Depoe Bay in 2009, but sea otters have not established permanent residence. Credit: Oregon Zoo via Storyful