Auf wiedersehen, pet: Heidi the cross-eyed opossum closes her eyes for good

By ALLAN HALL

Heidi the opossum has died, Leipzig Zoo have confirmed

Heidi the cross-eyed opossum has been put down in Germany to ease her suffering.
The visually challenged critter who became an Internet sensation - she had three times as many Facebook fans as Chancellor Angela Merkel - passed away today.

'The cross-eyed opossum Heidi has closed her eyes for ever,' said the zoo in Leipzig, eastern Germany.

The animal, aged three-and-a-half, had been treated for health problems for weeks and zoo officials decided to put her down 'to spare her further pain and suffering'.


The cross-eyed opossum is shown sitting in her enclosure in December (left) and a picture in June shows that Heidi has not been well (right)

Heidi’s distinctive eye problem was thought to be due to a poor diet before she was abandoned in the United States, or because she is overweight, leading to fat deposits behind her eyes.

Leipzig Zoo said she suffered badly from arthritis. While treatment for her maladies increased in recent weeks, putting her to sleep was seen as the kindest option.


Two year-old octopus Paul, the so-called 'octopus oracle' predicts Spain's 2010 soccer World Cup final victory over The Netherlands (left) and polar bear Knut at Zoologischer Garten zoo in Berlin (right)



source: dailymail