00:00Every koala that ends up at this clinic, north of Brisbane, leaves with a souvenir.
00:07A quick jab to spare them a world of pain.
00:10Chlamydia causes urinary tract infections, infertility and blindness.
00:15In some cases they just get so sick from it that they become emaciated and die.
00:19So it is very confronting to see them.
00:22Endeavour Veterinary Ecology has been trialling the vaccine,
00:26which trains a koala's immune system to recognise and fight chlamydia bacteria.
00:31We've seen some promising outcomes with it so far in reducing mortality and some disease in the population.
00:38The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has approved the vaccine.
00:43It couldn't come soon enough with koalas listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT.
00:49Professor Peter Timms developed the treatment with a team at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
00:55A ten year labour of love.
00:57It's been a long journey, but this is what these things take.
01:01And I can see why some people would have given up.
01:03I feel super proud of the work that they're doing in such an important cause.
01:08Researchers hope to equip every wildlife hospital with the vaccine
01:12to ensure it reaches as many koalas in the wild as possible.
01:16A goal they hope to achieve by the end of next year.
01:19We've used up lots of money getting to this point.
01:21We've had good support, but we need more money now to go to the next stage and roll it out.
01:25It's not a cure-all, with habitat loss also taking a heavy toll,
01:30but it's still worth a shot to save a national treasure.
01:34Thank you very much, sir.
01:35Thank you for listening.
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