SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – Zoo Miami is mourning the loss of one of their longtime residents.
Cobber, a male Queensland koala that has been at the zoo since 1999, died Thursday at the age of 19.
Cobber, whose name is Australian slang for friend, lived well past the life expectancy of other male koalas who rarely live past 10 years.
Over the last few months, Cobber has been suffering from a variety of problems ranging from limb stiffness and labored breathing. The koala had even been receiving laser therapy on his joints which had provided comfort and a better quality of life until recently.
Cobber was humanly euthanized due to advanced heart disease and arthritis
Other abnormalities were detected during a necropsy and a laboratory will test his tissue samples over the coming weeks.