KOBE - The oldest koala in Japan has died at the age of 18, equivalent to about 90 in human years, a tourist facility in the western prefecture of Hyogo said Friday.
Awaji Farm Park England Hill, on Awaji Island, said the female koala, Nozomi, died Wednesday of gastrointestinal failure due to old age.
Nozomi was born in March 2008 at Yanchep National Park in Western Australia. She was brought to the park in March 2011 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of a friendship agreement between Hyogo and the state of Western Australia, according to the facility.
Many tourists had visited her since she became Japan's oldest koala in November 2022.
The park will set up a flower-offering stand at its Koala House from July 18 for an indefinite period.
It released a statement saying, "She was an affectionate koala who liked being held and was a symbolic presence at the park. We are sad, though glad we were able to see her off without regrets."
With Nozomi's death, Daichi, a 12-year-old male koala kept at the same facility, is now Japan's oldest, according to the park.
