You’ve heard of the Odyssey, but now it’s time for the Otter-sey.
Much like the protagonist of Homer‘s epic, our hero, an otter pup named Caterpillar, was stranded from its home. This, however, is pretty much where the similarities between the two stories end.
As the Marine Mammal Center of California reports in a Facebook post, they found Caterpillar on the beach at Morro Bay. In an effort to reunite the young pup with its mother, the center searched for the mama otter by boat and played a recording of Caterpillar’s vocalizations over a Bluetooth speaker.
Eventually, they spotted a female otter who continued to approach the boat. Thinking they’d found the mom, they placed Caterpillar in the water, and the two soon swam to each other and embraced.
“After Caterpillar and mom were reunited, the team watched for another hour to be sure the pair was safe,” the center says. “We love a happy ending.”