Meet Gemma, Kai and Ren, the newest editions of Asian small-clawed otters born at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

The three pups were born to parents Leia and Quincy on January 31, but are being brought into the Otters Edge Habitat on Tuesday April 25 at 9 a.m., according to a press release from the aquarium.

“We’re excited for these otter pups to explore their home in Otters on the Edge. These pups have had excellent guidance from their three older siblings and parents, and we are looking forward to seeing the family of eight emerge for visitors to watch them play and splash in the habitat pool,” said Shannon Anderson, otter keeper, NCAFF.

The pups' names were chosen from nearly 7,000 votes during a week-long period in January. All of the names honor the pups' native habitats of Indonesia, southern China and Southeast Asia, according to the aquarium’s website.

The names meanings, as stated on their website are as follows: “Gemma (gem and precious stone), Kai (sea, shell, warrior), Ren (purity, lotus, perfection).”

Leia and Quincy have been teaching the pups how to be an otter, playing in a shallow pool and sharing clams, smelt, and shrimp, as stated in the release.

The additions of Gemma, Kai and Ren, bring this otter family to a total of eight. Siblings Stella, Mae, and Selene were born May 21, 2022, according to the Fort Fisher aquarium. 

Although the pups will venture into the Edge habitat Tuesday, their parents may decide to keep them behind the scenes.

“The popularity of these pups has given us a unique opportunity to tell the story of how vulnerable this species is in their native habitat and through them, inspiring individual action to protect them. We hope the family is ready to emerge and we look forward to visitors having an opportunity to see them frolicking in Otters on the Edge,” said Hap Fatzinger, director, NCAFF.

Their populations are in decline due to deforestations, climate change, pollution, poaching and illegal pet trade, as stated in the release.

The Aquarium urges visitors to help combat the species decline by not buying furs, trading wild animals as pets, and to buy shade-grown coffee, which protects wild Asian small-clawed otters habitat.

Click here to see the pups chirp. You can follow the otter families journey on Facebook and Instagram using #OtterPupsNCAFF.