COLUMBIA, S.C. — “Right now she is absolutely holding a big place in our hearts," said Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens' Director of Animal Care and Welfare, Greg Peccie.
The zoo announced the koala's passing in a Facebook post Sunday, saying:
"It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Charlotte's passing following complications from a respiratory infection. As always, the welfare of our animals is our greatest purpose and responsibility. Please keep our Animal Care team in your thoughts and join us as we recognize the love and exceptional care they provided to Charlotte throughout her life."
Peccie and his team at Riverbanks Zoo made the hard decision to euthanize Charlotte after months of battling a fungal infection.
"We are responsible for them from start to finish and through sickness and in health, and in this situation, it's definitely been hard on us, but we know we made the best decision for Charlotte," Peccie said.
Riverbanks' koala habitat was originally built thanks to an agreement between the zoo and Queensland Australia, where the animals originate from.
"Koalas have recently gained a lot of attention with the wildfires that happened in Australia just a few years ago and zoos have worked really hard to make sure they've also provided research and funding for recovery and support," Peccie said.
While at the Riverbanks Zoo, Charlotte mated with a male koala named Coedie and later had baby Kirra, who is now over a year old.
"This was the first opportunity we had to put the male with the female, and so Kirra was the first and only offspring for Charlotte."
Kirra's birth, Charlotte's treatment plan and all other general maintenance is made possible for all animals at Riverbanks because of the comprehensive care they receive.
"The vets are directly involved with daily with check-ins, treatments and providing fluids. A lot of those things are some of what goes into the daily care of these animals."
Even though Greg and his team had to say goodbye to Charlotte, Riverbanks Zoo is still part of the koala program with Queensland, which will now involve moving around the remaining two koalas.
"We have Kirra and we have her dad, so we need to either get a new male or a new female if we were to continue in the breeding program."
The zoo still has two healthy koalas at the zoo you can visit, Coedie and Kirra. As for whether the zoo is considering a new koala, those decisions are still undergoing consideration.