Chlamydia-Stricken Koalas Need Better Sex Ed

The cute and cuddly Australian koala spends 18 hours of its day sleeping —and now we know what it does with the other six hours. Researchers have discovered that up to 80% of koalas were found to have chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease that is usually associated with humans only.Who’d have thought the most adorable animal in the outback was also the kinkiest!

While it may be funny to imagine the koala as a species of closeted nymphomaniacs, the reality is that the disease is contributing to a seriously diminished population, so much so they are in danger of being extinct by 2050. The koala has historically had a high rate of chlamydia, where symptoms were only expressed in times of stress. Recent climate change and human encroachment, however, have left the animal extremely stressed. Chlamydia causes severe pink eye and kidney damage leaving animals and humans infertile, and in the case of the koala, too exhausted to survive.

Considering the marsupial is still responsible for $1 billion of Australia’s tourism industry, we can safely say that STD or not, the Koala is still the number one cuddly sex-maniac in our hearts.

What Can You Do?

• Don’t be like the Koalas- get tested!
• Get involved in an endangered species organization to help similarly vulnerable animals in your area.
• Make your backyard biodiverse to encourage species growth.