SYDNEY – Australian koalas are being struck down by a version of AIDS, and may soon become extinct! Koalas are being infected by a version of AIDS called KIDS, or Koala Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It strikes more quickly than the human strain, and is leaving koalas open to a number of deadly diseases, including chlamydia.
It is believed that the national population of koalas has dropped from 100,000 to 43,000 in only a matter of six years. If the decline continues, koalas could be gone by 2040!