[Columbia, SC] - One of the few koalas born in the United States - and the first in South Carolina - has fully emerged from its pouch and now has a name - Karoo.

When keepers discovered the joey last September, zoo officials enlisted the help of students on two continents to come up with a name. Pre-school to Year 7 students throughout Queensland's Gold Coast schools were invited to submit their suggested names. Students from elementary schools in Richland and Lexington Counties in South Carolina then got to vote for their favorite name from a shortlist of four.

Karoo is the offspring of Lottie, one of two female koalas from South Carolina's Australian sister state Queensland, and Mirai, a male koala from Japan.

Lottie and the other female, Killarney, were the first koalas authorized by the Australian government to come to the United States since 1990 when they came to Riverbanks in October 2003 from the David Fleay Wildlife Park on Queensland's Gold Coast. The joey's father, Mirai, arrived at Riverbanks in January 2002, from Hirakawa Zoo in Japan.

The gift of Lottie and Killarney was the result of a sister-state relationship established in 1999 between the states of South Carolina and Queensland in Australia. As part of the relationship and as a result of the gifts, Riverbanks and the government of Queensland are collaborating on projects to benefit koalas living at the zoo and in the wild in Queensland.

Koalas are considered a national treasure by the Australian government and are rarely made available to zoos in other countries. There are only a handful of zoos in the United States that exhibit koalas and few have successfully bred them.

Karoo began emerging from the pouch in February. Koala offspring are born approximately the size of a jellybean and immediately begin a treacherous journey from the birth canal to the pouch where they begin to nurse and develop. They often remain in the pouch for up to seven months before emerging.

"Koala births are rare in the U.S., and we are excited that visitors to Riverbanks have this unique opportunity," said Satch Krantz, executive director of Riverbanks Zoo & Garden.

» View SCE&G's press release regarding koala exhibit's Zoo View webcam.
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» View the statement from Queensland's Premier. (*requires Adobe Reader)