There’s nothing like the love that a mother has for her child, and an adorable video is going viral this week that shows this love in a beautiful way.

Brett and Tomilyn are two commercial fishers who were casting their lines off the coast of Morro Bay, California when they came upon a baby sea otter who had clearly lost his mother.

The two fishers felt bad for the poor baby, so they contacted rescue authorities to come and help. Officials with the Harbor Department teamed up with the Marine Mammal Center and Officer Mike Harris of Fish & Wildlife and headed to the scene, where they found the baby sea otter making lots of squeaking sounds as he attempts to find his mother.

The sea otter population of Morro Bay was once almost destroyed by hunters who went after the animals in the hopes of using them for their pelts. Sea otters remain on the endangered species list, which is why officials take situations like this one so seriously.

The video below opens with a conservation officer holding the baby sea otter by the scruff of his neck so that he will not be able to bite him. Finally, they spot the baby’s mother about 100 yards away and make a beeline for her. They feared that the mother might reject her baby if they got too close to her, so they decided to toss the baby out as close to her as they could.

After the baby landed in the water, the onlookers held their breath as they waited to see how the mother would react.

Seconds later, the baby finally stops squeaking as he snuggles up to his mother, who accepts him with open arms! We’re so glad that this video had such a happy ending!