Koalas are facing extinction across the east coast of Australia due to disease, drought, bushfires, and flash floods. According to new data the number of koalas in the country has plummeted from 80,000 in 2018 to around 32,065 – 57,920 in the wild.

In 2022 the Australian government announced that koalas would be officially classified as endangered in QLD, NSW, and the ACT. NSW has experienced the worst loss in population with a conservative estimate of 6382 koalas killed in the 2019-20 bushfire season.

Currumbin Wildlife Hospital is one of the busiest wildlife hospitals in the world. In 2022 over 300 Koalas were admitted to the hospital and over 300 were vaccinated for the prevention of disease. Currumbin Wildlife Hospital is leading the way in applied research programs for Koalas however, the growing number of Koala admissions requiring intensive care has exhausted Currumbin’s shared wildlife ICU.

Currumbin Wildlife Hospital recently completed a dedicated Koala Holding facility that will make a huge difference to their Koala Vaccine program. Each Koala is recaptured every 3-6 months for anti-body testing and health checks during which time they need to be housed at the hospital before being released back into the wild.

The new facility will make way for existing enclosures to be refitted as a dedicated Koala ICU for the unique needs of injured and sick Koalas.

NUII has sponsored two essential diagnostic pieces of equipment, the PCR and Plate Centrifuge that will be used extensively on all Koalas that go through the ICU.