Leading the Way in Urgent Koala Research
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital will now be vaccinating all koala patients against chlamydia prior to their release back into the wild, signifying a major milestone for the protection of the species.
In 2019, the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital treated, rehabilitated and released almost 600 koalas. More than half of these patients were sick and dying from chlamydia.
Out of the other half, many had sub-clinical chlamydia, meaning they were beginning to become sick.
The plan is for a pilot study to commence with a test population in Elanora, a neighbouring suburb of Currumbin. The goal would be to vaccinate 10% of the breeding population as the modelling shows that this should be the threshold that will have significant impact
Dr Michael Pyne, Senior Vet of Currumbin Wildlife Hospital has been treating koalas for over twenty years and believes prevention is better than cure.
After vaccination, the koalas would be released back into the diseased population and then tested again 6-12 months later to check if they are clear.
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital is leading the way in this major advancement to protect our vulnerable koala species.
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