It was just a normal day for the team from the Salt River Project until someone noticed the animal struggling in the water.
This adorable otter owes its life to a group of utility workers who stumbled upon the animal while it was desperately trying to get out of a canal in Phoenix this week.
It was just a normal day for the team from the Salt River Project until someone noticed the animal struggling in the water.
Read: Rescued Sea Otter Settles Into New Home at Aquarium But Still Needs a Name
“He was calling for his mama, we assumed,” Salt River Project carpenter Craig Boggs told KPNX-TV. “It would go back underwater and fight and come back up. He was about to give up. He was pretty exhausted.”
The 4-week-old otter was in pretty bad shape, suffering from dehydration and hunger, and it was overrun with fleas.
But workers at the Arizona Game and Fish Wildlife Center were able to nurse the animal back to health.
Read: 2-Day-Old Sea Otter Pup Is Reunited With Mother After Being Swept Away by Strong Tide
Now, the little guy is likely counting his blessings that the crew from the Salt River Project was in the right place at the right time.
"Just one of nature's thing[s]," Boggs said. "You can't let it go. I mean, if you can save it. It's the right thing to do. I mean, didn't want to let the little fella die on its own. It's not right."
Watch: Abandoned Sea Otter Spends a Day Traveling to Meet New Friends
