Koalas in the Redlands have suffered another blow with the death of Pan Da the Facebook koala, who was recently euthanised at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.
Redland City Mayor, Melva Hobson, said it was her sad duty to announce Pan Da’s passing.
Pan Da was picked up and taken to the hospital after a resident contacted the Redland Wildlife Rescue Service.
Full autopsy results are not yet available to explain Pan Da’s chronic condition and deterioration, which left the hospital no option but to euthanise him.
Pan Da, so named because he was rescued as a youngster and delivered to his carer on the eve of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, achieved public recognition as the face of the Redlands’ koalas.
“Pan Da has played a pivotal role in Council’s campaign to raise awareness about the dire situation facing Redland koalas,” Mayor Hobson said.
“The iconic species is endangered and at risk of local extinction.
“I am personally very saddened by the loss of Pan Da. Along with 13,000 Facebook fans around the world and many in the Redlands, I have followed Pan Da’s adventures from his release back into the bush as a youngster, through to his recent hospitalisation and subsequent re-release in good health in April.
“He has become a part of our lives and his sad loss makes the messages he was helping us to promote even more poignant.”
Mayor Hobson said much has been achieved already as a result of the attention Pan Da brought to the threats facing urban koalas.
“New initiatives in coming months will help continue the strong public interest in their plight,” she said.
