What's cuter than an adorable animal? An adorable pairing of animals, duh!
Sure, there's the classic pair of a dog and cat — and those are always wonderful — but there's an extra level of cuteness when one or both of the pair is an unusual choice of pet.
They live together in Japan with their humans and have quite the social media following.
I mean: of course they do. Look at the cuteness!
Their YouTube channel has amassed tens of millions of views across the many videos of the pair interacting together.
Of course, the viral popularity of an unusual pet like Sakura does raise some concerns.
Otters are wild animals and while the common otter species aren't currently endangered, the pet trade was beginning to pose a serious risk to their wild populations.
In August 2019, international commercial trade of the Asian small-clawed otter and the smooth-coated otter species was banned.
Sakura herself has been with her humans for four years and seems healthy and well cared for. The new restrictions simply mean that we can enjoy her delightful relationship with Mochi, without the same worry about how her viral popularity might risk the lives of her cousins in the wild going forward.
If you'd like to follow the adorable pair, you can do so on Instagram @kawauso_sakura and on YouTube.
