Gunnedah's koala population could face chlamydia crisis

As part of Gunnedah’s Project Koala, NSW Local Land Services North West has contracted Mr Sparks to put together a Koala Action Plan, mapping out a blueprint for the best way forward to save Gunnedah’s koalas.

Mr Sparks said he was already disturbed about what a first look at the koala population had found, with an indication the disease chlamydia had taken hold.

“My gut instinct is that we have a crisis, but we can’t go shouting wolf unless that is the case,” he said.

“We need to do everything we can to back that up.”

Mr Sparks said he had already conducted some monitoring near Curlewis and Breeza and had been alarmed by what he had found.

“It appears there is a high incidence of chlamydia,” he said.

Mr Sparks has called on Gunnedah residents to help out in the bid to find out just how healthy the area’s koalas are.

“We need to be appealing to the public to look at the koalas they have seen recently,” he said.

“Look at their eyes, nose and bottom and, if possible, get zoomed-in photos.”

Mr Sparks said these photos could be used in a coming workshop to look at whether koala health in Gunnedah was in crisis.

They would also help discover whether chlamydia was an issue beyond the Curlewis and Breeza areas. 

As part of the Koala Action Plan, Mr Sparks is finding systematic studies that have been done on koala populations in the area in the past.

He will then try to replicate the studies to look at how the population has changed over time.

“It is rather perplexing they haven’t been properly benchmarked in the past,” Mr Sparks said.

“It is largely anecdotal evidence from people seeing less or more of them.”

Mr Sparks said field surveys and evidence gathering would determine the way forward for a plan to save the koalas.

He said while planting trees was always good for the environment, more drastic action could be needed.

He said it might be necessary to construct an area where healthy koalas could be bred in a captive disease-free environment with temperature control, good shade and access to water.

Those koalas bred in the environment could then be freed to boost the population.

“If climate change keeps going the way it’s going, even that could be futile,” he said.

Mr Sparks said there still appeared to be a reasonable-sized population of koalas in the Curlewis and other areas, and the best way forward may be to focus on koala health in those zones.

Providing water points for koalas impacted by heat and chlamydia could make a difference.

“These sort of remnants could be the last bastion,” he said.

As part of the plan, Mr Sparks will meet with the region’s Landcare groups and other groups to have input into working towards saving the region’s koalas.

North West Local Land Services senior land services officer Angela Baker said the plan would help the community “band together” for the common goal of protecting the koala population.

“This plan will assist community groups, council and individuals on where best to focus efforts to help the local koala population,” she said.

“Efforts to improve habitat for koalas will also benefit other native animals and general biodiversity.

“All people in and around Gunnedah can play a significant role in looking after our koalas. It is important that we keep an eye out for any that we see, 

particularly during the hot weather conditions to provide water but also to look at their general health.”

Ms Baker said people’s koala sightings would help identify where the core koala populations were and what condition they were in.

“This will help shape the plan so it will be realistic, timely and local,” she said.

Chlamydia is a sexually-transmitted disease.

In koalas, the strain leds to poor health and even death.

Even if the koala survives chlamydia it is most likely to be infertile.

The disease is believed to be common in the NSW and Queensland koala populations.

A vaccine has recently been developed for the illness.

Diseases caused by the chlamydia organism include conjunctivitis which can cause blindness, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and reproductive tract infections, which can cause female infertility.

Symptoms include sore eyes, chest infections, and “wet bottom” or “dirty tail”.

• Information from sources including www.savethekoala.com

Gunnedah residents have already shown their interest in protecting our koalas through Gunnedah’s Project Koala.

Now they can help by taking close up photos of koalas they see, in particular, their eyes, nose and bottom.

Send photographs to marie.low@fairfaxmedia.com.au and include your contact details and the location of the koala.

These photographs will go to the people involved in the Koala Action Plan to get a better idea of where koalas are, and how widespread chlamydia is in the area.

The Australian Koala Foundation estimates that there are likely to be less than 80,000 koalas remaining in Australia today and it could be as low as 43,000.

Much of their habitat has already been lost. The foundation says habitat loss is the greatest threat to koalas.

• Information from www.savethekoala.com