Australia Zoo’s rescue team came across something incredible when they were out doing their jobs. What originally looked like an injured koala turned out to be a rare specimen with two different-colored eyes; one that was blue, and the other was brown.
The team believed that the koala was the victim of being hit by a car in traffic. Because she seemed injured, the team took the koala with them, and it has been admitted into the Australia Zoo temporarily.
The dual-colored eyes are the result of a genetic mutation known as heterochromia. The mutation isn’t negative to the koala’s health, but it does give it a unique look that is attracting a lot of attention.
It has been named ‘Bowie’ as a reference to the late musical entertainer David Bowie, who had the same condition.
"Bowie's heterochromia doesn’t affect how she sees the world around her, in fact her eyesight is great, exactly what we like to see in a young koala," Australia Zoo veterinarian Dr. Sharon Griffiths said.
"Apart from being extremely lucky in avoiding injury on the road, she's also incredibly unique as heterochromia isn't a common occurrence in koalas; it's more often found in domestic mammal species such as dogs and cats."
Since Bowie can see perfectly well, it’s all a matter of simply treating the injuries that it was discovered with. Most of the animal’s major injuries are reportedly healed up by now, although a small limp is still being treated from the proposed hit-and-run accident.
Soon, Bowie will be released back into the wild in Queensland where the koala originally came from. Free of injuries, Bowie can return to the natural way of life that she knew before being treated by humans.
Source: Australia Zoo, The Telegraph
