Omeo (pronounced Oohmeooh), a male koala at the San Diego Zoo, turned 1 year old (July 15, 2020) and received a special birthday celebration—complete with a heartshaped ice cake made with natural flowers, and “presents.” This milestone birthday is extra special, as the young joey lost his mother due to cancer when he was about 5andahalf months old and still in her pouch. To save the joey’s life, Zoo veterinarians and wildlife care specialists intervened, feeding and caring for the little marsupial round the clock, and tending to his every need.

The San Diego Zoo has housed and cared for koalas since 1925, Staff at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research are studying koala populations, both at the Zoo and in their Australian habitats, to better understand the species’ complex ecology, mating behaviors and health. The information gleaned from this work will help further develop conservation strategies for koalas.



San Diego Zoo Global has been a core partner with Science for Wildlife and their Blue Mountains Koala Project since it began five years ago. Australia’s Blue Mountains World Heritage region is home to the most genetically diverse population of koalas in the world. Earlier this year, megafires raced through the region, devastating more than 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) of habitat and threatening wildlife. Researchers from Science for Wildlife, with the support of San Diego Zoo Global, were able to rescue koalas from approaching bushfires and eventually reintroduce them back into their home in the eucalyptus forests. The koalas were equipped with radiotracking devices that allow researchers to follow them and find out more about how koalas use the landscape after fire. This valuable information will help researchers to plan a future for koalas under climate change, where more frequent and intense fires are expected in the future.




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