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Published on August 17, 2007

The six-month-old female - the first born to Australian mother Coco - died on July 28 from being underweight. It was only 240 grams compared to the average weight of 500g for that age, Sopon Damnui said.

Caretaker Sommitra Khanthawong said the young koala cub or "joey" came out of her mother's pouch on July 28 at about 6am and stayed out for more than an hour.

Coco did not try to put the young one back in the pouch, but instead licked it and circled around it for a while before going to sleep on a tree branch, he said.

Zoo caretakers put the baby back into Coco's pouch and contacted Dusit Zoo veterinarian Dr Somchai Choti-apisitkul.

The veterinarian checked on Coco and her baby at 8pm that day only to discover the young one was dead. Coco was then sent to the Animal Hospital to have the carcass taken out of the pouch, which was then cleaned and injected with antibiotics to prevent infection.

Somchai said Coco, who had recovered and could eat by herself, was taken back to the display area.

Zoo officials, not discouraged by the loss, are preparing for the mating season from September to March.

Koalas, who are usually referred to as "bears", don't come from the bear family but are actually marsupials like kangaroos and wombats.

Female koalas take two to three years to reach reproductive age, while males take three to four years. A healthy female koala can have one offspring a year for 12 years. The young live inside their mother's pouch for about six months.

Meanwhile, Chiang Mai Zoo's popular giant pandas are still unable to produce a cub, despite veterinarians' attempts through pornography - videos of pandas mating - special diets and artificial insemination to encourage reproduction.

Ultrasound tests carried out on six-year-old Lin Hui showed that she was not pregnant despite being inseminated with sperm from seven-year-old Chuang Chuang in April, Sopon said yesterday.

The zoo would have to wait until next April, he said, before trying to impregnate her again - pandas are ready for reproduction only once a year.

The pair will also be put on a weight-loss programme - they need to lose at least 20 kilograms, he said.

Keepers have been trying to get the pandas, loaned to Thailand by China for 10 years since 2003, to mate since last year.

Chuang Chuang, who was deemed too heavy to have sex, lost seven kilograms on a low-carb diet. He was also shown a 15-minute video clip of successful panda couplings. However, the veterinarians had to settle for artificial insemination because the videos did not inspire him.

Giant pandas, notorious for their low sex drive, are among the world's most endangered animals. Only about 1,600 pandas are believed to be in the wild in China and some 180 are being raised in captivity in zoos worldwide.

The Nation

CHIANG MAI