Meet the Abandoned Otter Pup Who Found a New Home and Stole the Internet's Heart

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If you’ve ever dreamt of having an otter as a pet – and let’s face it, who hasn’t? – we have some news for you: This story won’t change that! It will actually just make you want a pet otter more!!

On September 30, a jogger in California came across a one-week-old otter pup, “alone, abandoned, and crying,” according to RedEye Chicago. The otter was grossly underweight, weighing 2 lbs., so rescuers brought him to Monterey Bay Aquarium, where he received four weeks of intense care. After that, he transferred to his new home at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, where he can receive around-the-clock care.

Now 5-weeks-old, the otter, who is temporarily being called Pup 681 (which is certainly not a cute enough name for him) is learning how to actually be an otter. “It truly takes a village to rehabilitate a young sea otter," Shedd V.P. Tim Binder says. Now we’re just imaging an otter village which is so cuuuuuute.


PHOTOS: Check out these stars stepping out with their adorable pets!

"They need a lot of intense care, attention, feedings every couple of hours or so,” Christy Sterling, assistant supervisor of penguins and otters (great job title) explained. “We help her groom because when she comes out of the water, her fur can be really wet, and that is how otters stay warm with really dense insulated fur. She's also really young so she'll help us out and try to learn but sometimes she just falls asleep because she gets really tired."

As aspiring otter parents, we are down for all of that.

And here’s one last bit of adorableness from Chicagoist, because we know you can handle it: “She can't dive yet, but Sterling did point out that they see her trying to look under the water and think about giving it a shot. “

For an animal of a different variety: Megan Fox reveals her spirit animal!