[Columbia, SC] - Riverbanks Zoo and Garden today announced that its koala joey (baby), Karoo, has died. Keepers discovered the dead joey first thing this morning in the zoo's koala exhibit. Karoo was housed with his mother, Lottie. While an exact cause of death has not yet been determined, preliminary results found no signs of trauma.

Riverbanks Veterinarian Tiffany Moore conducted a necropsy this morning and has sent samples for pathology to a consulting pathologist at the University of Georgia. Results will be available in several weeks.

"The joey was normal when keepers left the exhibit last night, and there were no outward signs of disease or causes for concern," Moore said.

Moore also pointed out that the three adult koalas in the Riverbanks colony have shown no signs of disease.

"First-time births for koalas are sometimes troublesome," said Ed Diebold, director of animal collections at Riverbanks. "Lottie was a first-time mother, and first-time moms will throw the joey from the pouch approximately 73 percent of the time."

"Having made it to nine months of age, we were optimistic that this joey would survive and thrive, but unfortunately, we're never completely comfortable until a newborn is weaned and separates itself from the mother;" Diebold said.

The Riverbanks koala colony is the result of a sister-state relationship established in 1999 between the states of South Carolina and Queensland 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. Only a handful of zoos in the United States exhibit koalas.

Diebold and Moore emphasized that once it's determined that the joey's death is not the result of a genetic problem that would threaten other offspring, efforts to breed the Riverbanks koalas will move forward.

"From a biological and conservation standpoint, it's vital that genetically diverse colonies are maintained," said Diebold. "Both Riverbanks and our partners in Queensland are committed to continuing our collaborative efforts to benefit koalas both in zoos and in the wild."