Rinny, a 9-year-old female koala, was found dead Sunday morning inside her habitat at Zoo Miami, officials said.
The marsupial had recently been exhibiting a diminished appetite and lethargy, longtime Zoo Miami communications director Ron Magill said in a statement Monday.
Zoo veterinarians examined Rinny last Thursday in hopes they could find the underlying reason for her symptoms.
“Other than some gastro-intestinal dysfunction that she was receiving supportive care for, nothing was immediately found that would indicate that there were any serious issues,” Magill said.
A necropsy conducted this week found “some small abnormalities,” like an enlarged hear, gall bladder issues and dry stomach contents, but “there were no immediate results that clearly explained the cause of death,” Magill said.
According to the Australian Department of Environment, Science and Innovation , koalas live on average between 10 and 12 years in the wild. Females can continue to breed into their teens and have been known to live as long as 18 years, according to the department’s website.