A tender moment between a zookeeper and a sleepy otter has melted the hearts of viewers online, after a short TikTok video showing the animal being gently woken from a nap by his trusted companion racked up nearly 10 million views.
The clip, shared on February 4 by a 29-year-old zookeeper called Maggie (@maggaroninchees), shows the belly of the Asian small‑clawed otter named Ping being softly stroked as he lies against her, yawning awake and letting out small, contented sounds. Maggie, who wants to keep her full identity private, told Newsweek that the viral moment reflects a bond built slowly over more than a year at the Florida wildlife facility where she works.
“I am so blessed that I was able to develop a beautiful trusting relationship with [the otters],” she said.
In the short video, Ping appears to be napping, stretched out against Maggie’s leg as she gently rubs his stomach to wake him. The otter responds with a wide yawn, looks up at her and makes soft noises, prompting Maggie to say: “I know but you have to get up…Oh, he’s so tired.”
An overlaid text on the clip reads “The worst part of my job is when I have to wake Ping up from his nap,” while the caption adds: “Waking an Otter.”
The understated interaction struck a chord with animal lovers on TikTok, many of whom filled the comment section with messages describing the moment as heartwarming or as evidence of the dream job—”Can I have this job [please],” one viewer wrote—but Maggie says the trust on display did not come easily.
“The Asian small‑clawed otter in the video is named Ping, he also has a brother named Pong that lives with him,” she said.
When the otters first arrived at the wildlife facility more than a year ago, they were fearful of humans and often hid from view.
“I started using my lunch breaks to sit by their enclosure and help get them accustomed to human presence,” Maggie added.
Over time, the otters gradually stopped hiding and began to approach her. As the months passed, familiarity turned into trust.
“Our bond grew stronger and I continued to spend my lunch breaks with them,” she said, adding that “napping” on her lap became one of their favorite activities to do.
The viral clip was filmed near the end of one such break, when Maggie needed to return to her duties.
“In that video, I am nearing the end of my break and have to wake Ping up from his nap so I can go back to work,” she said. “Waking a sleepy otter is hard, especially when they’re cute!”
While the video’s warmth has led many viewers to describe Ping as sweet and cuddly, Maggie was careful to emphasize that the animals in the clip are not pets.
“Although they appear super cuddly do not make good pets,” she said. “They are definitely not always in that mood.”
For Maggie, the attention surrounding the video, which has garnered more than 1.9 million likes, has been pleasantly surprising. But she hopes moments like this encourage curiosity and care for wildlife rather than unrealistic expectations.
“I hope that my posts not only make people smile but also encourages them to learn about the amazing creatures in this world and how to protect them,” she said.
The experience has also been personally meaningful for the millennial zookeeper.
As she puts it: “They have taught me so much about the species, and about myself, as animals often do.”
Ping and Pong, she added, remain a source of comfort for her, and not just on her lunch breaks.
“They always make me smile when I’m having a bad day, and I wanted to extend that to viewers everywhere,” she said.
Maggie posts more about her life as a zookeeper on Instagram, under @ottersandmore.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.