Heidi The Cross-Eyed Opossum Has Died

Fans from all over the world are mourning the loss of Heidi — the cross-eyed German opossum whose cute but confused countenance had captured hearts around the world.

Heidi the cross-eyed opossum

The Leipzig Zoo said Wednesday that the three-and-a-half-year-old opossum had been listless and unable to move for several weeks due to acute arthritis. A decision was made to put her down ‘to spare her further pain and suffering’.

“We carried out every possible test and treatment,” zoo director Joerg Junhold said in a statement. “We made the final decision … to relieve the animal from suffering and pain.”

“The cross-eyed opossum Heidi has closed her eyes forever.”

Within minutes of the announcement, Heidi was trending on Twitter and thousands of fans were leaving an outpouring of condolences on her Facebook page.

“How sad,” wrote Rene Schaaf, from Heidi’s home city of Leipzig. “This lovable creature enriched our daily lives, showing us that ‘imperfect’ can also be interesting and even beautiful.”

Heidi’s distinctive eye problem could be related to the poor diet before she was abandoned outside an animal shelter in North Carolina in the US, along with her sister, Naira, in the United States, or because she is overweight, leading to fat deposits behind her eyes.

It is not clear how Heidi ended up in Denmark’s Odense Zoo. She was given to Leipzig by the Danish zoo in May 2010. Leipzig Zoo first presented Heidi to the public in December 2010.

In December 2010, German tabloid Bild featured photographs of various animals to be featured in Leipzig Zoo’s upcoming Gondwanaland, a newly themed area at the zoo. Pictures of Heidi went viral.

Heidi the opossum at Leipzig Zoo

Heidi became an internet and real-life sensation in Germany, winning three times more Facebook admirers than Chancellor Angela Merkel. Heidi has also inspired a song, written by Stefan Langner, and sung by three young girls, which has become an internet hit on YouTube.

Heidi reportedly received an offer to appear at the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27, 2011 via video broadcast, but instead appeared on the late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live! in a series of pre-taped vignettes, in which she predicted the winners of three Oscar categories. The visually-impaired cutie correctly chose both the best actress and best actor but missed one prediction, choosing the long-shot Oscar-nominated 127 Hours to win over the eventual Oscar-winning The King’s Speech for Best Film.

Heidi the opossum predicting the Oscar winners

She is the latest animal to win fame in Germany, after Paul the Octopus gained worldwide attention for predicting the 2010 World Cup results.