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Taronga Zoo's Newest Addition

Published on: October 2020

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-113503

Taronga Zoo's Newest Addition

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore)

—Speaker, Taronga Zoo has recently welcomed a new sea lion pup to the Taronga Zoo family, and now the public is being invited to pick a name for her. Under the watchful eye of her parents Nala and Charlie, the pup made her debut at Taronga's Seal Bay just in time for the recent school holidays. Australian Sea-lion numbers continue to decline due to isolated populations, over-fishing, and entanglement in fishing debris. Taronga Zoo's breeding program is ensuring an insurance population to protect this endangered species, and is providing education to visitors regarding the importance of protecting our diverse marine life. The public now have the option to choose from two names, Amalie which is a tribute to the pup's late grandfather and Nala's father Mallie, or Kailani which is of Hawaiian origin and translates to sea and sky. Thank you to the dedicated team at Taronga Zoo, and particularly to the marine mammal keeper team for their work in caring for this endangered species.