Free Republic

AN autopsy performed on baby koala Doug shows his killer executed the defenceless animal at close range with an air rifle. Pictures: Doug the baby koalaVeterinarians believe the trigger was pulled by a person standing above Doug after shooting his mother Meryl. The dehydrated joey, who was losing blood, and his mother suffered immense pain for 10 days until found at the base of a tree in Morayfield, north of Brisbane, on Tuesday.

The baby koala affectionately known as Doug has died after being shot with an air rifle north of Brisbane this week. The male joey had been on life support at the Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast, after he and his mother were found on Tuesday with slug gun wounds at Morayfield. The joey, who was months old and weighed only one kilogram, died late this afternoon on an operating table. He had also been suffering from pneumonia and was on oxygen because of the poor condition of his lungs. Yesterday vets said the koala was expected to make a...