Save koalas from possible extinction
- by: Tom
- recipient: Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, The Hon. Tony Burke MP
Quite possibly one of the cutest animals in existence, the Australian koala is facing serious health dangers. An epidemic of chlamydia has begun to ravage Australia's koala population. In koalas, chlamydia is a nasty bacterial disease with symptoms including blindness, respiratory infections, and even infertility.
Combined with other threats from habitat loss and dog attacks, koalas now face the possibility of extinction. Though chlamydia doesn't directly kill the animals, rendering them infertile means koalas could become extinct in as little as a few decades.
About 40% of Australian female koalas are now infertile. We must intervene if we are to reverse the pattern that could lead these cuddly creatures to extinction.
Sign the petition asking Australia’s Federal Environment Minister to elevate koalas to endangered status and and ensure they receive the resources necessary to avert this catastrophe.
Dear Hon. Burke PM:
I am writing to express my concern over the current koala situation in Australia. I've learned that chlamydia is taking a huge toll on the koala population and rendering them infertile. Though chlamydia causes a range of health problems for these adorable animals, infertility is the most ominous as it threatens to extinguish the entire koala population.
Though there are treatment options, once chlamydia enters a koala's urinary tract, the animal is most often rendered infertile. With a vaccine in development, now is the time to grant the animal greater federal protection under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), providing the species with a chance of recovery.
This national emblem deserves national protection, rather than patchwork solutions offered at state and local levels that provide inadequate coverage.
Thank you for your time.
