14-year-old koala Mullaya euthanized at Dresden Zoo

The 14-year-old male koala Mullaya was euthanized at Dresden Zoo on Thursday. According to the zoo, Mullaya had been losing weight slowly but steadily over the past year. According to the zoo, even special replacement food and eucalyptus porridge were unable to prevent the weight loss.

According to the zoo, the male koala became visibly weaker and recently ate almost nothing. "To spare him further suffering, we decided to put him down," it continued. During an X-ray as part of the necessary anaesthetic, the zoo said it also discovered a change in his skull that indicated a tumor in his jaw.

Mullaya had two koala cubs

According to the zoo, Mullaya came from Duisburg Zoo in November 2013. He was one of the first two koalas in Dresden. Three years ago, the male koala had offspring for the first time: according to the zoo, he and his partner Eerin had a female koala, Janali. A year later, Mullaya and Eerin's second female cub was born: Kiri.