Koalas Succumbing to Venereal Disease

AP, Koalas are dying from chlamydia. A new vaccine effort is trying to save them

Australian scientists have begun vaccinating wild koalas against chlamydia in an ambitious field trial in New South Wales.

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 centers for other afflictions.

The first koalas were caught and vaccinated in March, and the effort is expected to last about three months.

 

Researchers use binoculars to spot koalas in eucalyptus trees, then construct circular enclosures around the tree bases with doors leading into cages. After a few hours or days, the koalas will eventually climb down from one tree to seek tasty leaves on another, and wander into the harmless traps.

“It’s hard to confuse a koala with any other animals — they’re pretty easy to spot,” said Jodie Wakeman, veterinary care and clinical director at Friends of the Koala, a nonprofit that runs a wildlife hospital where the koalas are being brought for vaccination.
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The origins of chlamydia in koalas aren’t confirmed, but scientists believe it’s likely the marsupials initially caught the disease from exposure to the feces of infected sheep and cattle. Then it’s spread sexually, or passed from mother to offspring.

And just where did the Australian sheep get Chlamydia? 

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