Sick, injured or orphaned koalas in the Australian state of Queensland are to receive a much-needed helping hand with the relaunching of a medical centre for the iconic marsupials.
The Moggill Koala Rehabilitation Centre has undergone an 830,000 Australian dollar (about 640,600 U.S. dollar) refurbishment with the facility now equipped with the latest diagnostic equipment.
One of the centre's main tasks is to administer vaccines for Chlamydia, a disease which is having a devastating impact on koala populations.
"It's vital we take care of the health of the state's koalas as their long-term survival is under serious threat," said Queensland Environment and Science Minister Meaghan Scanlon at the centre's relaunch this week.
Chlamydia can cause infertility which directly reduces reproduction and the future viability of the population, he said.
Aside from Chlamydia, koala numbers have been hard hit in recent years by a series of environmental and ecological changes.
Ever-increasing land clearing to create pastures in rural areas have destroyed their natural environments, while koalas in urban areas are more likely to be injured or killed by cars as roads increasingly cut through their habitats.
The WWF-Australia estimates that more than 61,000 koalas may have perished during the massive Australian bushfires of late 2019 and early 2020.
It is predicted such bushfires will increase in frequency and intensity in coming years due to climate change.
As a consequence of the many threats to koalas, the federal government announced last November it would spend 18 million Australian dollars (about 13.9 million U.S. dollars) to help protect them.
The program will include funding for health research and medical support and the restoration of key habitat sites through revegetation, weed control, fencing and managed grazing. Enditem
