A koala stolen from a NSW central coast wildlife park will die without proper care, the park's manager has warned.
The 13-year-old male, known as Banjo, was discovered missing from his enclosure at the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby on Tuesday morning.
Australian Reptile Park operations manager Tim Faulkner warned on Wednesday Banjo needed extensive care and called on the thieves to return him.
"Koalas need fresh eucalyptus every day," Mr Faulkner said, and it has to be the right variety to appeal to these fussy eaters.
Without the right food, Banjo would "not last long".
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Banjo, who transferred to the wildlife park from Queensland to take part in a breeding program, is also being fed a special vitamin supplement to keep his weight up.
This is the first time a koala has been stolen from the park and the event has left Mr Faulkner puzzled.
"It's very strange, there's no market for koalas in Australia," he said.
While animal institutions across Australia regularly trade koalas, Banjo had no monetary value.
"He's worth nothing," he said.
Bolt cutters were used to open Banjo's enclosure some time between 8pm on Monday night and 7.30am Tuesday morning and police are now investigating.
At 13 years Banjo is approaching retirement.
"He's already an old man," Mr Faulkner said.
"We just want him back."
Koalas live to about 10 years in the wild and in captivity they can live to 15 years.
