TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Scientists in Australia have developed a new method to avert koala extinction by freezing the animals' eggs and sperm as a genetic safety net. These reproductive cells are slated for future use to produce koala embryos through artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Led by researchers from the University of Queensland, the project stores the reproductive cells in liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees Celsius. Through this cryopreservation method, koala DNA can be preserved for decades until it is required to support conservation initiatives.
The research team emphasizes that banking these cells is crucial, as every deceased koala carries unique genetic diversity that could help the species adapt to shifting environmental conditions.
"Losing genetic diversity can weaken future generations and decreases the ability of the species to adapt to challenges," said reproductive biologist Andres Gambini from the University of Queensland, as reported by Live Science on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
"This project will create a safe and systematic way to rescue and preserve koala spermatozoa and eggs to support future conservation programs," he added.
These measures come amid a severe, ongoing decline in Australia's koala population. Across several regions of Queensland and New South Wales, populations have plummeted by up to 80 percent since the late 1990s, driven by deforestation, bushfires, drought, and disease. This crisis prompted the Australian government to upgrade the marsupials' conservation status in eastern regions from vulnerable to endangered in 2022.
The eggs and sperm are harvested at wildlife hospitals, which retrieve the reproductive material from koalas that have died or are unable to breed due to illness or trauma. The samples are then screened to ensure they are free from Chlamydia pecorum, a bacterium heavily blamed for the population collapse due to its tendency to cause infertility, urinary tract infections, digestive disorders, and blindness.
"Every year, many koalas are admitted to wildlife hospitals because of illness or injury and sadly, not all of them survive," Gambini noted.
Should Chlamydia pecorum be detected, the researchers assert that the infection can be eradicated before the cells are introduced into the breeding program.
"We have the technology now to remove the infection from the samples," said Steve Johnston, an associate professor of animal reproduction and captive wildlife management at the University of Queensland.
Nevertheless, Gambini stressed that the initiative is not meant to replace frontline conservation efforts like habitat protection, disease mitigation, and population tracking. Rather, he argues that archiving genetic material must happen concurrently to halt the relentless loss of diversity as wild numbers dwindle.
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