VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A new seal at the Virginia Aquarium officially has a name!
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center held a naming auction for the new juvenile male harbor seal. The seal’s new name will be “Monty”.
The winning bidder has chosen to remain anonymous but says the bidder chose a name that paid tribute to the seal’s earlier days while in rehabilitation at the National Marine Life Center.
The seal has been rescued a total of three times. The aquariums say the name “Monty” was chosen as a connection to this young seal’s past while also providing him a new beginning as he enters the next phase of his life.
The naming auction helped raise $6,250 that will go towards the aquarium's animals and their rescue and rehabilitate animals efforts.
If you see a seal, sea turtle, dolphin or whale on a beach, call the Virginia Aquarium’s Stranding Response Team’s 24-hour hotline at (757) 385-7575.
According to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, you must remain at least 50 feet away from marine mammals, including seals resting on Virginia beaches.
