Koalas Dying From Stress Related Disease
More Than Half of All Australian Bears Infected by Chlamydia
Oct 4, 2009
Experts believe that 50 to 90 percent of all koalas are already infected, according to a report from the Associated Press. But the virus can be deadly to koalas when they are stressed – specifically because of a a decrease in forests and trees.
Chlamydia in koalas is similar to cold sores in humans, but leads to respiratory or reproductive infections.
The same AP report added that a 2008 survey by the Queensland government shows that the koala population decreased by 64 percent since 1999. And in some places they believe local populations have gone extinct from this threatening disease.
In an interview with AP, Frank Carrick, head of the Koala Study Program at the University of Queensland, said the native bears are more threatened than ever.
"Koalas are in diabolical trouble," said Carrick. "Numbers show that even in their stronghold, koala numbers are declining alarmingly."
Sam the Koala Dies From Chlamydia
When wildfires blazed through the Australian countryside earlier this year, a photographer caught a shot of firefighter David Tree holding a bottle of water up to the mouth of an injured koala later named “Sam.”
Her experience was recorded on her official website: Sam The Koala.
Sam, later renamed “Samantha” once they discovered her true gender, was rescued from the charred woodland with severe burns across her backside.
Veterinarians later performed surgery on Sam to combat ovarian cysts, yet unfortunately her case of Chlamydia was too advanced and she was euthanized.
A Brief History of the Koala’s Struggle
According to The Koala, these gray-colored bears weigh 20 pounds on average and belong to a marsupial family living in the coastal regions of southeastern Australia.
They receive over 90 percent of their hydration from the eucalyptus tree, but according to the website, 80 percent of the eucalyptus forests have been destroyed due to agriculture, forestry, roads or housing since the beginning of the European settlement of Australia.
There are four types of koala diseases associated with the Chlamydia infection, a type that typically lays dormant but starts to pose a threat when the koala’s resources become scarce.
Dog attacks also pose a major threat for koalas. According to the Queensland government, 130 are killed each year as a result of attacks. Many of these happen in public parks or backyards.
The Queensland government has begun protecting the local koala populations by imposing regulations such as the Koala Plan, which sets aside sanctuaries for the animals, sets limits on vegetation clearing and imposes stricter management of land use.
 |
