All right, we admit that here at RocketNews24, we’re more than slightly fond of otters, simply for no other reason than that they’re, well … just so darn cute (and even more so when you can actually shake hands with them)! And, yes, we know we recently brought to you an otter-related story about the 33-hour live-feed internet otter-cam broadcast, but now, some pictures have come out of Taiwan that are so devastatingly adorable that we simply couldn’t bear not to share them with you. So, without further ado, here are the two baby otters who were brought to the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan about a month ago, whose pictures we suspect have been causing many squeals of delight around the world. Now, look at them and tell us they don’t completely melt your hearts!
These baby Eurasian Otters were found apparently abandoned by their mother on Kinmen Island in the beginning of April, and upon being rescued, were brought to the Taipei Zoo where they have been receiving excellent round-the-clock care. Both of them are male and are thought to be about two months old now.
▼Don’t they look cozy and comfortable curled up together?
▼They’ve been bottle-fed artificial milk by the dedicated staff.
▼Yup, the otters look especially adorable when they’re being fed!
▼The staff seem to have no trouble feeding the two of them at the same time.
▼Here’s one of the otters looking into the camera like a pro! Looks like someone already knows he’s as cute as a button.
The Eurasian Otter is actually considered a near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, so we’re glad to hear that the pups are growing healthily, their weights having increased from roughly 450g (16 oz) to 900g (32 oz).
Regardless of whether the otters are eventually returned to the wild or remain in captivity, we’re already grateful to them for providing us with so many endearing images. We’ll leave you with some videos of the babies provided by the Taipei Zoo, so brace yourselves for a serious serving of cute!
Source: ZooBorns, Mainichi Shinbun (Japanese)
Top Image: Taipei Zoo facebook page
Inset photos: YouTube (Taipe Zoo video 1, Taipe Zoo video 2, Taipei Zoo video 3)