![]() ![]() Koalas are iconic Australian marsupials, like wombats and kangaroos. She quickly emerged and bounded up the tree trunk. When the first vaccinated koala was returned to her habitat on March 9, the scientists placed her cage at the base of a tree and opened the door. "It's hard to confuse a koala with any other animals - they're pretty easy to spot," said Jodie Wakeman, veterinary care and clinical director at Friends of the Koala, a nonprofit that runs a wildlife hospital where the koalas are being brought for vaccination.Īfter a check-up to make sure the animals are in good condition, researchers administer anesthesia and shots of vaccine, then keep them under observation for 24 hours after they wake up, to confirm there are no unexpected side effects, Wakeman said.īefore release, the researchers mark the koalas with a dab of pink dye on their backs, to ensure the same animals aren't caught twice. After a few hours or days, the koalas will eventually climb down from one tree to seek tasty leaves on another, and wander into the harmless traps. Researchers use binoculars to spot koalas in eucalyptus trees, then construct circular enclosures around the tree bases with doors leading into cages. The first koalas were caught and vaccinated in March, and the effort is expected to last about three months. "We want to evaluate what percentage of the koalas we need to vaccinate to meaningfully reduce infection and disease," said Phillips. Now scientists want to understand the impact of vaccinating a population of wild koalas. The safety and effectiveness of the single-shot vaccine, which has been designed specifically for koalas, has previously been tested by vaccinating a few hundred koalas brought to wildlife rescue centers for other afflictions. Environment A report warns that Australia's endangered animals will increase because of wildfires
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