Donate today to boost koala health

Moreton Bay Regional Council is urging residents to get behind a fundraising push by the University of the Sunshine Coast to help pay for research into a koala chlamydia vaccine.

Councillors voted unanimously to donate $1000 to the campaign, which is part of USC Giving Day today and will see the koala project receive a $75,000 windfall.

During Giving Day, people can donate to a range of different USC causes, including Conservation and Environment, Student support and Mental Health.

With Conservation and Environment reaching 150 individual donations,  it will receive $75,000 from the Sandy Mitchell Legacy Fund.

Every donation counts

Mayor Peter Flannery says it didn't matter how much people donated, every bit would help save koalas.

He says the region has a reputation for defying the national trend for declining koala numbers, with the population surrounding The Mill at Petrie doubling in the past three years.

“I hope it’s cause for other Councils to follow our lead in investing millions into initiatives like our environmental land buyback strategy, green infrastructure initiatives, tree planting programs and green corridors,” he says.

Lifeline for koalas

Mayor Flannery says USC’s annual Giving Day could give a much-needed boost to research pioneered by USC microbiologist Professor Peter Timm.

“(This is) a donation drive where a simple act of kindness can have an enormous impact.”

He says Prof Timm’s team has spent decades searching for a solution to chlamydia’s impact on koalas and recently has a breakthrough in a vaccination trial.

“This could literally be a lifeline for koalas,” Mayor Flannery says.

Donations close at midnight, Wednesday, May 26

To donate to the Conservation and Environment cause click here.

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