[Columbia, SC] - Veterinarians at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden rushed the koala Lottie in for surgery today in an unfortunate chain of events that may have resulted from the death of her joey, Karoo, on May 23.

"We're pleased that Lottie has made it through the surgery," said Satch Krantz, Executive Director of Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. "Just an hour after her surgery she was alert and sitting up with the assistance of our veterinarian. Despite the fact that early indicators look promising, her prognosis is still far from certain. The next few days and weeks are incredibly important as we wait to see if she makes a full recovery."

Lottie's keepers had been keeping careful watch over her since May 24, the day after Karoo died, when she was diagnosed with mastitis, a mammary gland infection attributed to the sudden inability to nurse. Mammary gland infections can occur in the period of time between when a mammal last nurses and when her milk supplies begin to dry up. Mastitis is typically treated with a course of antibiotics.

While the mammary gland infection quickly cleared up, antibiotics can be hard on the intestines of koalas because it interferes with the complex adaptations that help them to utilize their specialized diet of eucalyptus leaves. Koalas make use of special microorganisms to break down the eucalyptus, and antibiotics can adversely affect these microbes.

Over the last several days Lottie's appetite has waned. Over the weekend, keepers noticed a discharge from her nose and a sudden onset of retching. Radiographs (x-rays) taken on Sunday suggested an obstruction. Additional films this morning confirmed that there was a torsion or twist in her small intestine.

This Monday morning, Riverbanks veterinarian Keith Benson put in a call to Dr. Frank Carrick, head of the Koala Study Group at the University of Queensland, and the veterinary staff of the San Diego Zoo. Carrick wholeheartedly supported the decision to operate and after San Diego Zoo's veterinarians concurred, the final decision was made. Lottie was taken into surgery at approximately 2 pm today.

Lab results taken after Karoo's death and just back from the University of Georgia have confirmed that Lottie's joey died from Bordetella pneumonia. Bordetella is a bacterial infection of the lungs that has been reported in both wild and captive koalas.

"We all felt the loss of Karoo very strongly. It's doubly unfortunate that his death may have led to this particular chain of events for Lottie - unfortunate and yet unavoidable," Krantz said. "She's receiving the absolute best care possible. All we can do now is wait."