March. April 63are herbivores, with very long digestive tracts that rely on the
actions of fermenting bacteria to function efficiently. Antibiotics
can kill those useful bacteria as well as chlamydia.
A vaccine could help check the development of the dis-
ease, although its widespread use in wild populations could
prove logistically challenging. Nevertheless, a team headed by
Professor Peter Timms, a leading microbiologist at Queensland’s
University of the Sunshine Coast, has developed a vaccine that
researchers from the University of Sydney were hoping to trial
on a population of koalas on a private property on the Liverpool
Plains, in western NSW.
That population has now been studied by animal behaviour
expert Dr Valentina Mella for more than three years. Koalas
breed between August and February depending on where they
live. The Liverpool Plains population breeds towards the latter
end of that period and Valentina was hoping to trial the new
vaccine on the animals in April.
“But they’re too weak because of the drought,” she explains.
“So we’ll put it off for now. We don’t want to put any more
potential stresses on these animals.”
This is the first breeding season, during the time Valentina
has been studying the population, that she hasn’t seen any babies.
“It’s heartbreaking,” she says.
Her team’s surveys have found that many animals weakened
by the drought have been succumbing to chlamydia and have
been left sterile as a result, explaining, at least partly, the lack
of offspring in the population this season.
Valentina’s research is helping to overturn one of the long-
held beliefs about koalas – that they don’t drink. She has a study
underway looking at the use of water stations that property
owner Robert Frend has designed. So far she’s recorded a lot of
activity at the stations, and not just by koalas but also possums,
gliders and many native birds.
Va lent ina’s tea m is a lso st udy ing what sor t of i mpact increa s-
ing temperatures will have on the physiology of koalas. Their
body temperature runs at about 36°C, slightly less than humans,
but they can cope with wider fluctuations than we can. How
much that internal temperature rises and falls in response to the
surrounding ambient temperature is being assessed by the use of
tiny, harmless pills that contain microelectronics administered
to koalas caught for the study.
These are passed by the animals with no ill effect after about
a week, but transmit useful internal body temperature readings
via Bluetooth while ingested.
The concern is that if the koala’s internal temperature rises
too much in response to ongoing high temperatures in the
environment than the enzymes on which so many of their
nor m a l bod i ly act iv it ies rely, such a s d igest ion, w i l l be a ffected.
E
COLOGISTS JOKE THAT it’s easy to get money to study
koalas because they’re so universally loved by the general
public. Part of the reason why is because they have many
feat ures of a n 18 -month- old todd ler, f rom their for wa rd-facing
eyes to the proportions of their limbs. Whatever the reason for
the overwhelming love of humans for koalas, the worldwide
reaction to their plight during the fires is clear testament to that.
Cheyne, with the support of Sue, at the koala hospital plans to
cont i nue r id i ng th is st rong wave of sent i ment a s much a s possible.
“We’ve been invited to be part of the UN World Environ-
ment Day in New York in March on the impacts of Global
Warming: wildfires on wildlife,” Cheyne says. “Representa-
tives from the IUCN will be in attendance and we’re hoping
to engage them in making changes to the conservation status
of the koala.” She also hopes to be able to exploit some deep
philanthropic pockets while in the USA and attract funds of
$100 million for the koala hospital to be able to buy large tracts
of land in Australia of prime koala habitat.
Meanwhile, many researchers in ecology and conservation
hope to also ride that huge wave of love for koalas, realising
that protecting koala habitat also brings with it many more
species sharing that habitat, from other mammals to reptiles,
insects and plants. And so the koala is now being hailed by many
scient ist s a s a n i mpor t a nt u mbrel la species, wor thy of h ig h-level
protection regardless of its legal conservation status.
Professor Hugh Possingham, chief scientist of the interna-
tional conservation not-for-profit The Nature Conservancy is
among them.
“Koalas, like many other species, prefer fertile moist habitats
that are good for agriculture and cities,” he says. “And there
are many other wonderful species in those locations that most
people know nothing about; many species that will also benefit
by protecting koala habitat.
“The plight of the koala is like the tip of the iceberg; it
represents the plight of a thousand species that are suffering just
as much from habitat loss and fire.”Donated old white towels are used
in the koala hospital’s enclosures to
show whether treatments for chlamydia
are being effective. Stains may be a sign
the infection is still present.AG