Viscountess mourns loss of ‘adorable’ rare koala

Stop all the clocks. one of Lord and Lady Weymouth’s beloved koalas — brought over from Australia just a few months ago to Britain amid great fanfare — has suddenly died.

the five marsupials were flown from their natural habitat Down Under to the grounds of the Weymouth’s stately home at Longleat safari park in a pioneering conservation project aimed at ensuring the survival of the species.

Lady Weymouth was photographed with a koala on a visit to Australia last summer (right), when she said she was looking forward to them becoming part of the Longleat menagerie. ‘they are the most extraordinary and adorable animals, wrapping their limbs around you almost like an infant,’ she said.

While northern koalas can be found at Edinburgh Zoo, this was the first time southern koalas had been brought to Europe. Despite the best efforts of koala experts, Wilpena succumbed to oxalate nephrosis, a kidney disorder.

Wilpena, aged three, arrived at Longleat along with three other females and a male, in october from Cleland Wildlife park in South Australia. Emma’s husband Viscount Weymouth, who runs the Longleat estate, is patron of the International Koala Centre of Excellence (IKCE) which protects koalas in the wild.

Lord and Lady Weymouth aim to use the death of Wilpena as a catalyst for fundraising and research into the mystery of why koalas succumb to kidney disease.

Cleland Wildlife park director professor Chris Daniels said: ‘Wilpena’s passing does bring into stark relief why we need initiatives like IKCE.’

Known for doing little more than chewing gum leaves and napping for up to 22 hours a day, the animals will be the prime attraction at Longleat’s Koala Creek, opening this Easter.

Unfortunately there is a high incidence of oxalate nephrosis in southern koalas. Longleat’s head of animal operations Darren Beasley tells me: ‘All of the koalas were given kidney score checks prior to coming to Longleat. If any had a high score, which suggested there were underlying issues, they would not have been permitted to travel.

‘Some koalas are capable of living with the disease for many years, but sadly others, like Wilpena, are much more seriously affected.’ I am delighted to report the health of the remaining four koalas is excellent.