Buffalo Zoo Names New Otter Pups Luke and Leia on 'Star Wars' Day

— -- Two North American river otter pups at the Buffalo Zoo in New York have been named Luke and Leia to celebrate "Star Wars" Day, the zoo announced today.

On "behalf of the otter pups, the Zoo would like to say, 'May the 4th be with you,'" the zoo told ABC News today in a news release.

Luke and Leia were born earlier this year on Feb. 28, the zoo said. Their mother is an 11-year-old river otter named Ellie, and their father is a 9-year-old river otter named Rascal, the zoo added.

"Since their birth two months ago, Ellie has once again demonstrated attentive maternal care, including teaching them to swim in an inside pool adjacent to their den," the zoo said. "Based on positive observations, Zoo staff is pleased to report that the public may get a glimpse of the pups in Otter Creek between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. daily, weather-dependent."

According to the zoo, conservation efforts in the 1990s "have brought the North American river otter population to a stable status in the wild, after being on the verge of extinction."