You can love too hard (Picture: Owl’s Nest Sanctuary for Wildlife/Facebook)

Sometimes, you can love too hard. Like this baby North American River Otter who was rescued by an animal sanctuary earlier this week.

She loves her look-a-like otter teddy bears, but she can’t stop drowning them in her water bowl.

The otter pup was found alone and crying by the side of the road earlier this week in Tampa Bay, Florida.

She is now being looked after by Kris Porter, a licensed and experienced rehabilitator with Owl’s Nest Sanctuary for Wildlife.


Kris told The Dodo that the five-week-old otter, who hasn’t got a name, is unusually affectionate for a river otter. Usually, Kris explains, ‘they’d be tearing my hand up.’



But this little lady loves her belly rubs.

She also loves cuddles with her otter teddy bears. But, she keeps drowning them (accidentally, we’re sure), one by one, in her water bowl, so the sanctuary has to keep back up toys on hand.

This teddy knows what’s about to happen (Picture: Owl’s Nest Sanctuary for Wildlife/Facebook)

The baby otter is now well on the road to recovery but Kris is concerned she is too used to humans and will struggle to adapt to the wild.

But, the sanctuary often takes in otters and, if another one comes in soon, Kris hopes to use it to teach his rescue baby how to live like an otter again (and be less reliant on cuddles and belly rubs).

Or, as Kris puts it, ‘try to get the niceness out of her’.

(Picture: Owl’s Nest Sanctuary for Wildlife/Facebook)

If they manage it, she will be returned to the wild. However, if they find she is too used to human contact, she will be donated to an aquarium or wildlife center, and become a species ambassador.

Either way, it sounds like things are looking up for the little otter. Her teddies? Not so much.

MORE: Orphaned wombat diagnosed with clinical depression finds comfort in his stuffed toy

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