CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Shedd Aquarium shared an update Wednesday about the two new sea lions it welcomed in 2022 — named Charger and Kenney — have been acclimating to their new home.
Shedd officials said the 3-year-old Charger and his 11-month-old pup Kenney have spent the past eight months exploring their new home and meeting the aquarium’s three other sea lions: Tanner Laguna, and Cruz. Kenney and Laguna are said to be the most “interactive” together, and photos of the two being introduced were shared along with the update.
Laguna is one of three rescued sea lions at Shedd and came to the aquarium after experiencing two separate strandings as a pup in 2013, officials said.
Charger, meanwhile, has been spending time in the Grainger Sea Lion Cove, a guest-facing part of the exhibit in the Abbott Oceanarium. Officials said Charger is sometimes joined by his own sire, Tanner. With Charger and Kenney’s arrival, the Shedd is now home to three generations of sea lions.
Tanner, by the way, also arrived at the Shedd as a rescue. He came to the aquarium in 2012 as part of an effort by the state of Washington to relocate sea lions that were unintentionally overfishing an endangered fish.
Officials said Tanner, a fully matured sea lion, now weighs over 600 pounds. Kenney, meanwhile, weighs 65 pounds.
After the successful one-on-one introductions, officials said all four adult sea lions can be seen on exhibit.
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