Koalas out on a limb

Conservationists are pushing to get the koala on the endangered species list after a recent survey found that numbers have declined by more than half in the past six years, according to the Agence France Presse.

The Australian Koala Foundation said the recent survey indicated the animal’s population might have plunged due to climate change, disease and over-development.

The drop also can be attributed to an outbreak of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, while others have been affected by loss of habitat.

Conservation groups have been trying to declare koalas a “vulnerable species” since 2006, but the data are the first proof of a drastic decline.