An estimated 50 to 80 percent of Australia's koalas are carriers of chlamydia and researchers believe 40 percent of females are now infertile because of the disease.

Chlamydia can cause blindness, urinary tract and upper respiratory infections, and infertility. However, symptoms and illnesses caused by the disease typically do not flare unless the animal is under stress.

Koalas have lost nearly 80 percent of their habitat due to human development, and the remainder is largely unprotected or owned privately. Loss of habitat not only forces disease-free populations into territory of diseased groups, but it also creates a large amount of stress on the marsupials, flaring and spreading the disease.

Currently, there is no vaccine and though nearly half of all females are infertile, the koala is not a protected species nor is it listed as vulnerable. According to some researchers, chlamydia could wipe out the species in as little as a few decades.

Advocacy groups and conservationists have been working to solve the problem, but the federal government has failed to take initiative and adequately protect the koala.

Sign the petition below, and urge the Environment Minister to protect koalas.

Photo credit: Obliot