Scientists Launch Groundbreaking Campaign to Inoculate Wild Koalas Against Deadly Disease

Australian scientists have begun vaccinating wild koalas in New South Wales against chlamydia in an effort to curb a disease that has devastated koala populations.
The scientists aim to vaccinate around half of the koala population in the Northern Rivers region in a field trial testing a vaccine designed specifically for koalas.
The vaccine has previously been tested on hundreds of koalas brought to wildlife rescue centers and approved by the Australian government.
Koalas face multiple threats, including disease, habitat destruction and vehicle collisions, and could go extinct by 2050 if conservation efforts fail.
If proven safe and effective, the vaccine could help protect koalas from a disease that causes blindness, infertility and death.