2024 San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards First Place Winner - PR, PIO and Trade Publications, Special Interest or One-Time Publications

Omeo the koala spends his days munching on eucalyptus leaves and napping in his favorite tree at the San Diego Zoo. But life didn't start out so easy and relaxing for this young koala. When Omeo was just five months old, his mother passed away after an illness. Most koala babies this young do not survive without their mothers' care. Koala joeys spend their first six months in their mothers' pouches. Only then do they start emerging for short periods of time. Without a mother to care for him, the Zoo's wildlife care and veterinary teams would step in to raise Omeo. It was his only chance to survive! Leaving the pouch so young meant Omeo faced many challenges. Would this little marsupial beat the odds? This is the amazing true story of Omeo the koala, his will to survive, and the wildlife care team who helped to save him.