The Zoo says a sad goodbye to one of our favorite picky eaters.
Photo courtesy of Orele Fisher.
This week’s photo is in memory of Zaki, the Victorian koala that passed away yesterday. One of the oldest koalas in captivity, he was the only Victorian koala in North America. He had been sleeping and eating eucaplytus in the branches Koala Creek in Australia since 1997.
The koala, affectionately called “Blinky Bill” in Australia, eats almost exclusively eucalyptus leaves and stems. Most animals can't eat this toxic plant, but koalas have special teeth and digestive systems for processing it. Koalas even smell like eucalyptus!
The BioPark ships in fresh eucalyptus twice a week from Arizona and Florida. Each koala has favorite varieties; Zaki preferred Eucalyptus robusta and E. camaldulensis 'Silverton.'
If you ate one type of food like koalas, what would your eucalyptus be? Tell us on Facebook and share your memories of Zaki the koala.
BioPark Koalas Slideshow
