Rare White Koala Gets Medical Help in Australia
Date: 25-Sep-07
Country: AUSTRALIA
Australian media said the koala, nicknamed Mick, was found
by police and was taken to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital,
north of Sydney. The koala underwent surgery and was given
antibiotics to restore his sight and health.
"He came in with a chlamydial conjunctivitis. He had very
bad conjunctivitis in his eyes. He's been surgically dealt
with. He's had antibiotics and he's looking good," Koala
Hospital supervisor Cheyne Flanagan told local media.
She said Mick was not an albino, as he had a black nose and
yellow eyes, but was a rare white koala.
She said the koala was returned to the wild at a secret
location to protect him from poachers.
Chlamydia is a bacterium that infects a wide range of
animals and is considered the main pathogen of koalas.
Infections occur in the urogenital tract and respiratory
tract and can cause infertility, blindness and ultimately
death. The visible symptoms are conjunctivitis and urinary
tract infections causing incontinence, leading to a condition
known as 'dirty tail' or 'wet bottom'. ((Reporting by James
Grubel, editing by Jeremy Laurence, james.grubel@reuters.com;
Reuters Messaging: james.grubel.reuters.com@reuters.net)