The Koala bear known to millions as "Action" was pronounced dead at Taipei Zoo around 11:05am yesterday. The four-year-old male koala is the first adult koala to die at the zoo, Chinese-language media reported yesterday.
According to the veterinarians at the zoo, Action had been showing signs of illness in recent days. He was also having digestion problems.
"Action's oral cavity, gullet and stomach were infected with fungi," said Chao Ming-chieh
Although the veterinarians injected Action with antibiotics, his condition had not improved and his health had grown consistently worse. The veterinarians also tried to feed him with eucalyptus leaves, but the marsupial seemed to have lost his appetite.
Later, Action suffered from an exhaustion of liver and kidney functions. The veterinarians immediately put an oxygen mask on him. However, his breathing and heartbeat soon stopped and he could not be revived.
An Australian veterinarian is coming to Taiwan today to study the cause of Action's death. "The zoo veterinarians have never operated on a koala before," Chao said yesterday. "So we called the Australian Currienbin Zoo to send its medical experts to rescue Action."
"But its veterinarians were on vacation and were unable to come until [today]," Chao added.
Action -- one of the Taipei Zoo's five koalas -- came to Taiwan with two female koalas, Liggy and Eva, from Australia last September. They have been extremely popular among visitors.
On Sept. 6, a baby koala -- the offspring of Action and Eva -- also died after the inexperienced mother accidentally crushed it.
RSS