Technology & Innovation Active Updated Jul 14, 2026
A vaccine push to save Australia's koalas from chlamydia
Roughly half of Australia's remaining koalas carry chlamydia, which causes blindness and infertility and is splintering already-isolated populations toward local extinction. Queensland researchers are testing whether a single-visit vaccine, combining an injection with a slow-release implant, can protect wild koalas without the difficulty of recapturing them for a second dose.
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Jul 14, 2026 Latest
An 18-month-old koala named Bamse, captured near Burleigh, Queensland, became the first koala vaccinated against chlamydia with a new combination shot developed with Queensland University of Technology, one injection plus an implant that releases a second dose on its own over 30 days. Bamse now wears a GPS collar so vets at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital can monitor her over the next six months.
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