The ordeal was not just terrifying but meant due to the injuries sustained, Koorah could no longer live in the wild. His life as he knew it immediately changed - without human help he wouldn’t survive.
After some time being looked after by local wildlife carers, Koorah was brought to Perth Zoo’s veterinary hospital. The altercation with the dog had left him with an ulcer on his eye. Cloudy and sore, it progressed to a cataract and we knew he’d be struggling to see out of it - something needed to be done!
In what is thought to be a wildlife world first, cataract surgery was successfully performed thanks to Perth Zoo vets collaborating with veterinary ophthalmologists. We are hopeful Koorah’s sight will be restored and he will live out his days in the sanctuary of Perth Zoo’s Nocturnal House.
Sadly Koorah’s story is not an uncommon one. There are now fewer than 8000 Western Ring-tail Possums left in the wild with the species teetering on the brink of extinction. Once they’re gone they’re gone but we are determined not to let this happen!
Please help us by sharing Koorah’s story and being responsible pet owners so that this kind of senseless attack is not repeated – there are too few of these little critters left on our planet for us to lose any more.