Longleat announces death of popular koala
Burke has passed away aged 17
A popular koala at Wiltshire's Longleat has died, at what's been described as the 'grand old age' of 17.
Burke came to the safari park in 2019 from a zoo in Japan, to support the important breeding programme here.
He welcomed offspring Hazel and Monty, the first Southern Koalas to be born in Europe.
They, and their mothers, Violet and Maizie, remain at Longleat to continue the breeding scheme.
Keepers there have said they're 'very sad', and Burke was 'very much loved' and will be 'sadly missed'.
They've also said he was 'incredibly special' to them.
Burke's legacy will also continue through a retro-virus test, developed by organisations in the UK and Australia, that's being used to help protect the wild koala population.