WATCH: Two cute orphaned river otter pups find new home at Oregon Zoo



PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Oregon Zoo is welcoming two river otter pups!

The orphan pups were abandoned earlier this month. Both the male and female otter babies were found on separate occasions in different parts of Oregon.  The female pup was found wandering a construction site near Gold Beach. Since she could not be reunited with her mom, wildlife officials reached out to the Oregon Zoo to see if they could take care of the her. She is about 6 weeks old and weighs just under 4 pounds.

The Zoo says the male pup was found near a golf course in McMinnville and was suffering a respiratory infection. He was temporarily taken care of at the Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center near Salem before moving to the zoo. He is about 4 weeks old and weighs less than 3 pounds.

Wildlife officials say the two  wouldn't have survived on their own.

The two met for the first time on Friday at the zoo.

"They started playing as soon as we introduced them," said zoo veterinarian Dr. Kelly Flaminio in a release from the Oregon Zoo. "The smaller pup ate like a champ, and is more interested in solid foods than formula. The female only wanted to play."

Once the pups are healthy again, they will be introduced to Tilly in the zoo's Cascade Stream and Pond area. Tilly was found orphaned near Johnson Creek in 2009 and has lived at the zoo since.

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