Australia begins vaccinating koalas as chlamydia threatens population: ‘it’s been devastating’
- The aim of the field trial is to test a method for protecting the marsupials against a widespread disease that causes blindness, infertility and death
- Facing compounded threats from disease, habitat loss and road collisions, koalas could go extinct in at least one Australian state by 2050
The aim is to test a method for protecting the beloved marsupials against a widespread disease that causes blindness, infertility and death.
“It’s killing koalas because they become so sick they can’t climb trees to get food, or escape predators, and females can become infertile,” said Samuel Phillips, a microbiologist at the University of the Sunshine Coast who helped to develop the vaccine.
The scientists’ initial goal is to catch, vaccinate and monitor around half of the koala population in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales – that means vaccinating around 50 animals.
The safety and effectiveness of the single-shot vaccine, which has been designed specifically for koalas, has previously been tested by vaccinating a few hundred koalas brought to wildlife rescue centres for other afflictions.
