[Columbia, SC] - Veterinarians at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden are optimistic about the future of one of their Aussie patients, Lottie the koala, after her risky June 6 abdominal surgery.

"Lottie is making a strong recovery. Over the last month and a half, the veterinary staff and her keepers have watched her steadily improve. She is eating normally, has established a regular sleep schedule and is well on her way to being a healthy koala," said Satch Krantz, executive director at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden.

In late May, when Lottie lost her joey, Karoo, she developed a mammary gland infection attributed to her sudden inability to nurse. The infection was treated with a course of antibiotics, which can often be hard on the stomachs of koalas who have complex digestive systems specifically adapted to process tough eucalyptus leaves. On June 6, Lottie's veterinarians detected a torsion or twist in her small intestine that was obstructing the passage of food and required immediate abdominal surgery.

Lottie came out of the surgery well, but her prognosis was still far from certain. "Unlike a human, it's difficult to tell a koala not to scratch at her stitches or to make sure she gets plenty of rest," Krantz said.

Following Lottie's emergency surgery, the Zoo took a proactive step and invited two koala experts, Allan McKinnon with the Moggill Koala Hospital and Adam Northam with the David Fleay Wildlife Park, to travel from Queensland, Australia to spend a week at Riverbanks, observing the koala program. Both were extremely impressed with the program and felt Riverbanks' koalas were receiving exceptional care.

Lottie is one of a group of three koalas that came to Riverbanks as the result of a sister-state relationship with Queensland, Australia and South Carolina.

Lottie has received well wishes from across the state and beyond in the form of e-mails and calls. Krantz said, "SCE&G's ZooView live webcam has allowed koala fans from across the world to check in on Riverbanks' koalas via the World Wide Web and as a result, they have captured the hearts of many. Everyone's relieved to see Lottie make such a nice recovery."

Riverbanks' koalas are among a small number of koalas in North America. Lottie is still resting at Riverbanks' animal hospital and is expected to be able to return to the Koala Knockabout sometime in the next few weeks.