PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Oz, one of two koalas at Palm Beach Zoo has passed from cardiac failure while in care by veterinarians. At 13 he was considered an elder Queensland koala.
"Seeing the way visitors to the Zoo engaged with Oz and he with them was the best part of each day,” “I had the honor of caring for Oz for several years. He was a very special koala who will always have a place in my heart and the hearts of the many guests who came to visit him,” Said zoologist Tabbitha Beckens.
Oz, who arrived to the zoo in 2010, was considered an ambassador for the kid's area and even granted a wish for Make-a-Wish in April of 2018 for a Texas girl who was terminally ill, named Katie.
Terminally Ill Girl visits the Koalas at Palm Beach Zoo
READ MORE: Oz Makes-a-Wish come true for Katie.
Oz shared a habitat with Katherine. The Palm Beach Zoo hoped that the pair would "swipe right" and mate, but they were not successful. Oz had arthritis in his legs and was routinely getting acupuncture
and other treatments.