[Columbia, SC] - The Koala Knockabout at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is proud to announce a new addition. A joey, or baby koala, is now on exhibit at Riverbanks.

The joey, which keepers fondly refer to as Oz, was born in mid-May and spent seven months developing in his mother’s pouch. Oz began to emerge from the pouch in late November, and now, a totally exposed joey spends his days holding tight to Lottie, his mom, in the Koala Knockabout where Riverbanks visitors can stop in and check him out.

“It is always an exciting time when we announce a new birth at the Zoo,” said Ed Diebold, director of animal collections at Riverbanks. “Oz is not only a great addition to the koala family at Riverbanks, he is also genetically valuable to the North American zoo population.”

Genetic diversity in a captive population of any species is necessary for a healthy conservation effort. Both female koalas at Riverbanks are unrelated to the koalas in the North American zoo population, which makes their genes extremely significant. Lottie and Killarney were a gift from the Australian government as a result of a sister-state relationship formed between South Carolina and Queensland Australia.

Great, the father of the joey, is a 6-year-old male koala who was donated to Riverbanks from the San Diego Zoo in March 2007. Great was transferred to Riverbanks because the Species Survival Plan (SSP) noted that he was a strong genetic match for both Lottie and Killarney.

“The birth of the joey would not have been possible without the generosity and cooperation of the San Diego Zoo,” said Diebold.

Oz will remain at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden for the next several months while he continues to grow on the back of his mother. Once he reaches about 12 months he will be considered mature and weaned from his mother. Oz will eventually be transferred to another zoo based on breeding recommendations from the SSP.

Oz is the first offspring for Great and the second for Lottie. Lottie’s first joey, Karoo, passed away in 2005 at 9 months. It is not uncommon for a female koala to lose its first joey. In fact, first- time koala mothers will lose their joey approximately 73% of the time.

For more information on the joey or Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, please contact Lindsay Burke at 803.779.8717 x1141 or lburke@riverbanks.org.