MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One of the Memphis Zoo's longtime California sea lions, Callie, died this week.
The zoo said Callie was their only wild-born sea lion and came to Memphis in 2002 after being rescued and rehabilitated by the Marine Mammal Care Center after being stranded in the wild.
She was the star of the zoo's sea lion show for over a decade and was popular with keepers and guests. She performed in shows at the old sea lion pool, which is now the zoo's pelican pool, before being moved to the Northwest Passage exhibit.
She was also the mother of one of the zoo's other sea lions, Teva, who was born in 2012.
"Callie was known to be a bit of a diva with strong opinions, however, she always kept staff on a tight schedule when it was time for a show as she would vocalize loudly at the doors to encourage the shows to start," the zoo wrote in a statement.
The zoo said Callie enjoyed educating hundreds of guests daily about sea lions and conservation.
She would often show off her reusable water bottle or tote bag to show the importance of recycling and help encourage guests to avoid using single-use plastics.
