Published: Thursday August 6, 2009 MYT 2:27:00 PM
ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) - "Sam" the koala, who gained worldwide fame and sympathy when she was rescued during devastating wildfires this year, has died during surgery.Wildlife center spokeswoman Peita Elkhorne said the 4-year-old koala died Thursday while being operated on to remove ovarian cysts.
Sam was made famous by a photograph of her drinking from a firefighter's water bottle as wildfires ravaged Australia in February.
She suffered second- and third-degree burns to her paws and had been recuperating well.
But she developed cysts due to a life-threatening disease called urogenital chlamydiosis, which affects up to 50 percent of Australia's koala population.
This article was taken from: The Star Online: World 6 August 2009
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