Today is a "koala-ty" day to celebrate a koala joey’s big day...Kora's first birthday is May 5, 2023!

Let’s celebrate this little koala with a BIG personality while looking back on her first year growing up at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

 
While all animals are special to the teams at the Zoo, Kora has a special place in her keepers' hearts as she is the last joey to be born from mom, Katy, and dad, Thoar.

After Thoar’s passing from cancer, the koala Care team came up with a special way to pay tribute to Thoar…They created a name that combined her parents' names to honor their last joey.

 Kora is also the second joey born to Katy. Kora's older sister, Ellin, grew up at the Columbus Zoo and now resides at Palm Beach Zoo in Florida. While her older sister was extra sweet to her keepers and always very interested in what they were up to when servicing the koala habitat, Kora prefers to stay closer to mom and has a "sassier" attitude!  "It is fun to see the different personalities koalas can have, even though they sleep up to 20 hours each day,” said Australia and The Islands keeper, Emily Grumney. 
 
Kora is gaining independence and is starting to spend more time away from her mother, but if she feels she has been away from her for too long, she doesn't hesitate to call out…and her mother will quickly rush to her! "Katy is a wonderful mother. She is so patient with Kora as she learns to become more independent,” said Grumney. 

It has been a very exciting year for the Australia and the Islands team!
 
In addition to Kora turning one and becoming more independent every day, another koala, Koen, recently joined the Columbus Zoo family after moving from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. While Kora and Koen will not meet, as they are not paired for breeding, we are excited to have another addition to the Zoo's koala family. With a name that starts with "K," Koen fits right in!  

 As the weather begins to stay consistently warm, Zoo guests can expect to find Katy, Kora, and Koen rotating between their indoor and outdoor habitats in the Zoo's Australia and the Islands region. Their Care team is looking forward to seeing Kora's reaction to the outside world for the first time! 

Be sure to visit the Zoo's Australia and the Islands region during your next visit to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to wish Kora a happy first birthday!