This reunion is otterly beautiful.
A lost sea otter pup was reunited with her mother last month, thanks to The Marine Mammal Center, an animal rescue group based in Sausalito, California.
The group isn’t totally sure how the pair got separated.
“A likely explanation, although we'll never know for sure because mom didn't stick around to tell us, is that she dove to forage... either a boat came by, or the very strong tide in the area that day made the baby float away,” they wrote in a Facebook comment. “Mom came up and couldn't find her pup. Perhaps she was an inexperienced mom who didn't know what to do next.”
The female pup seemed healthy, but at only two days old, couldn’t survive on her own, the group explained. They determined the best option was to try and locate the animal’s mother. That’s when Mike Harris, a sea otter biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and a team of volunteers came in.
In a boat, the crew held up the pup to show her to adult females swimming in Morro Bay Harbor. When one approached the boat, they decided it was time to try the reunion.
Harris tossed the pup into the water, then watched and waited. Sure enough, the mother otter swims over and grabs the pup in what seems like a joyous reunion.