Rolong, a smooth-coated male otter, is enjoying his new home in the safety of Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre in Cambodia after undergoing rehabilitation.

Otters are threatened from all sides. Hunters look to sell otter meat to restaurants and markets, and their highly valued skin is in demand from smugglers to take across the borders of Asia. Fishermen see the animals as pests because they eat fish stocks and can damage nets, while some young otters are poached for the pet trade. Their natural wetland habitat is being drained and their food source is declining.

The rescue centre in Cambodia rehabilitates vulnerable animals and educates local communities about protecting their wildlife. Chea and Kong Kea, Colchester Zoo's adult otters, spent time at the centre a few years ago after they were rescued from the trafficking trade, and since arriving in their new home on Otter Creek, have given birth to two litters.

Colchester Zoo's Action for the Wild charity last year donated £4,000 towards building the new enclosure at the wildlife rescue centre where Rolong and his new mate live. There are high hopes the pair will breed and that their offspring will be released into the wild to help to secure future generations of otters.

Article written by Sarah Jones Beer.