Help Us Save Rescued Otters from the Illegal Wildlife Trade & Give Them a Second Chance at Freedom

We’re Taking on a 100KM Ultra Hike to Fund Safe & Secure Rehabilitation Enclosures for Rescued Otters in Indonesia.

Why We’re Raising £2000 🦦

Asian small-clawed otters are intelligent, social animals that don’t belong in captivity, yet they are one of the most trafficked species in the illegal wildlife pet trade.

People are drawn in by their playful nature and small size, but keeping an otter as a pet is cruel. Many are taken from the wild as babies, never learning essential survival skills.

At Cikananga Wildlife Center in Indonesia, rescued otters, most of them former pets, undergo rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the wild.

Others will sadly never be released due to human-imprinted behaviours or injuries caused by captivity.

 🚨 The Problem?

👉 The current enclosures are in urgent need of renovation due to limited funding.

👉 Rehabilitating otters are picking up human-dependent behaviours from sanctuary otters, making them less likely to survive in the wild.

👉 Enclosures are unstable, with cracked walls, leaking pools, and escape risks, leading to injuries and territorial fights. (see below images)👇

👉 Rehabilitation otters can hear and see sanctuary otters, which disrupts their learning process.

👉 Without an improved environment, these otters stand little chance of returning to the wild where they belong.

We’re raising £2000 to help fund the renovation and rebuilding of otter enclosures, creating a safe and structured rehabilitation space that gives them the best possible chance at freedom.

You can see from the photographs below why these funds are so desperately required! ☹️

 How New Enclosures Will Change Their Future 🌱

🐾 A dedicated rehabilitation enclosure will prevent releasable otters from learning human-dependent behaviours, such as vocalizing for food. These behaviours make them less likely to survive in the wild.

🐟 Otters will develop natural survival skills in a controlled environment without human interference. This includes learning to hunt, socialize, and establish territorial behaviour, all essential for a successful release.

🔧 Safe, stable enclosures will reduce injuries caused by cracks, unstable structures, and territorial conflicts—ensuring a secure space for both sanctuary and rehabilitating otters.

🌍 A long-term impact – Improving these enclosures will set a higher standard for future rehabilitation efforts, increasing the number of otters that can be successfully reintroduced to the wild.

With your help, this project will transform the way otters are rehabilitated and released back into their natural habitat.

The potential area for a new renovated enclosure 👇

🥾 Our Challenge: A 100KM Ultra Hike (60 Miles with 2150m of elevation and NO sleep!)

To raise these crucial funds, we are taking on the Peak District Ultra Hike, an extreme endurance challenge that will push us beyond our limits.

🔥 100km (60 miles) – through the night, NO sleep

🔥 2,150m elevation – tougher than anything we’ve ever done

🔥 A brutal test of endurance – we’ve never hiked more than 16 miles in one go!

👀To give you some context:

🗺️Comparing our 100km challenge to Hiking Ben Nevis - the UK's Tallest mountain👇

✅ Distance:

👉Ben Nevis (round trip): 16 km (10 miles)

😨Our challenge: 100 km (60 miles)

**That's over **6 TIMES the distance of climbing Ben Nevis!

✅ Elevation Gain

👉Ben Nevis: 1,345m (4,413ft)

😨Our challenge: 2,150m (7,054ft)

That's 1.6 TIMES the ascent of Ben Nevis!

‼️‼️This means that our challenge is like climbing Ben Nevis SIX TIMES back-to-back in distance

AND

‼️‼️going higher than Ben Nevis by over 800m in total elevation gain!

And did we mention that we get NO sleep and will be hiking nonstop for over 30 hours straight?😨

This is the hardest physical challenge we’ve ever attempted, but if these otters can survive the trauma of being stolen from the wild, we can push through 36 hours of exhaustion to give them a second chance at life.

😨Are we nervous? Absolutely. Are we a little scared? 100%.

But this cause means the world to us, and we knew we had to push ourselves to the limit to raise as much money as possible even though right now.... it seems impossible!

This challenge will take weeks of training, endless hours of hiking, and a whole lot of aching muscles!

But every step, every blister, and every moment of exhaustion will be worth it if it means these rescued otters get the safe, secure home they deserve.

Our hope is simple:

👉to raise enough money to change their future and support Cikananga in their amazing work of rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife.

How You Can Help 💙

✅ Donate – Even £1 or £2 makes a difference. If everyone donates something, we’ll reach our goal!

✅ Share – Please spread the word—share this with friends, and family, on social media, anywhere you can.

💯 100% of the money raised will go directly to the otter enclosure renovation project at Cikananga Wildlife Center.

💰We are personally covering all costs for the Ultra Hike, so every single penny you donate will go straight to helping these rescued otters.

🦦Every donation helps give these rescued otters a safe home and a chance at freedom.

🐾 Meet the Otters 🦦

These are just a few of the otters who will benefit from the improved enclosures.

🦦Rowena & Marlin – A Love Story & A Chance for Freedom 💚

• Rowena was handed over as a juvenile by a private owner, arriving in poor condition and terrified of humans.

• Marlin was sold as a baby at a market in Bali and had no survival skills—he couldn’t even swim when he arrived.

• Rowena patiently taught Marlin how to enter the water and catch fish, and now they’re inseparable.

• They are potentially releasable, but they need a proper rehabilitation space to prevent them from learning human-associated behaviours.

 🦦Olly & Molly – Victims of the Pet Trade 💔

• Olly was tied to a short leash outside a house in Jakarta and had all of his canine teeth removed to make him "safer" for humans. He will never be able to survive in the wild.☹️

• Molly was gifted as a pet and lived in a bathroom, never even seeing a pool. She had to learn how to swim from scratch.

• They will remain in permanent sanctuary at Cikananga, but they need a secure enclosure where they can safely live out their lives.

 🦦Bryan & Sophie – Too Tame to Be Released 🚫

• Bought at a market as babies, Bryan & Sophie were surrendered after just one week.

• Unfortunately, they became too tame and are completely human-oriented, meaning they cannot be released.

• They’re a strong couple and will stay in the sanctuary—but they need a safe, escape-proof enclosure.

 🦦Magda – Waiting for a Companion 😔

• Magda was a pet for two years, living in a tiny 2m x 2m enclosure.

• Otters are highly social, and she currently does not have a partner—which is heartbreaking.

• We hope to introduce her to another otter in the future, but her current enclosure is unstable and unsafe.

🦦Every Penny Helps These Otters Live the Life They Deserve

They were taken from the wild. Something that no animal should ever have to endure!

With your help, we can give them a second chance.🌈

Even the smallest donation makes a difference—so please sponsor us today and help give these otters the safe, secure, and natural space they desperately need.

💙 Help us give rescued otters a safe home and a second chance at freedom! 🦦

🌍 Learn More About Cikananga Wildlife Center

Cikananga Wildlife Center (CWC) is an incredible non-profit organization in Indonesia dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and conserving wildlife impacted by the illegal pet trade and habitat destruction.

Since 2001, Cikananga has been providing lifesaving care to animals confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade—many arriving in a horrific state due to neglect, malnutrition, or abuse. Their team works tirelessly to rehabilitate these animals, helping them regain their natural behaviours so they can be reintroduced into the wild whenever possible.

For animals that can’t be released due to injury or human-imprinted behaviour, Cikananga provides a permanent, safe sanctuary. The centre is home to over 250 rescued animals, including sun bears, orangutans, gibbons, hornbills, crocodiles, and otters—many of whom are critically endangered.

We spent a month volunteering with the Cikananga team and saw firsthand their passion, dedication, and relentless hard work. Their mission is truly inspiring, but they rely on donations to continue this critical work.

 🔗 Learn more about Cikananga here: Cikananga Wildlife Center Website 

Thank you for supporting this fundraiser and helping give these rescued otters a second chance at life! 💙🦦

🐾 Meet Your Slightly Terrified Hikers – Emma & Steffan!

We’re Emma & Steffan—just two animal-loving, slightly adventure-crazy humans who have decided to push ourselves to the absolute limit to raise money for this incredible cause.

This was us ready to start our all dressed and ready to start our day when we volunteered at Cikananga! 👇

 Why Are We Doing This?

Our love for animals (and some serious travel experiences) made us realize just how much wildlife needs our help.

We spent a month volunteering at Cikananga Wildlife Center, and seeing their dedication first-hand made us want to do something meaningful for conservation.

Are We Actually Ready for This Challenge? …Not at all!! 😂

Let’s just say this is going to hurt. A lot.

😨Emma: A few years ago, she had never hiked, was pretty unfit, and carrying some extra weight. Now she’s tackling a 100KM Ultra Hike while also battling knee issues—because why not take on a brutal challenge when your joints already hate you?

😨Steffan: Loves the idea of hiking and has done a fair bit over the years—just very inconsistently. Has never done anything remotely close to this distance, so let’s see how that goes...

 🥾Our (Possibly Insane) Training Plan

We have around 14 weeks to train, and let’s just say life is about to get intense:

🥾 Currently hiking 5x per week, covering 20-30 miles per week while juggling work (and sanity).

🥾 This will increase to 50-60 miles per week as we get closer to the event.

⛰️ We’re adding 500-1000m of ascent into some hikes bbuilding to 1800m (so our legs can properly hate us).

🥵 Back-to-back 20-26 mile hikes will be happening in the final weeks to prepare for the reality of no sleep.

🏋️‍♂️ Gym sessions to build strength (aka: make sure we can still move after this).

🐶 All while working full-time on our business & dog-sitting, because why not add chaos to the mix?

It’s a LOT!!!??!!

But if these rescued otters can overcome the trauma of being taken from the wild, we can push through aching muscles, blisters, and complete exhaustion to raise the money they desperately need.

🙏🏻Help Us Make a Difference!

If you can spare just £1 or £2, it genuinely makes a difference. If you can’t donate, please share our fundraiser—every bit of support helps!

💙 Thank you for cheering us on—we’re going to need it! 🥾🦦

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