Amy Robbins

Amy Robbins

Brisbane, Australia

University of the Sunshine Coast, Endeavour Veterinary Ecology, Brisbane Koala Science Institute

Dr Amy Robbins BVSc (Hons 1), BSc (Zoology)

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Published on May 03, 2020

Project update

Hi All, I just wanted to give everyone a bit of an update with the project, as there have been some delays with my progress. The direction of my PhD changed a little, which meant I wasn't able to ...

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Published on Nov 15, 2019

Chlamydial disease progression is more common in koalas than previously recognised, and MacGyver wants to let everyone know..

Hi everyone. Apologies for the break between posts, my PhD has been keeping me busy! My second paper has now been published as a result though (see link below), and gives us new insights into chl...

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Published on Jan 24, 2019

Optimising clinical outcomes for koalas

While I've been busy meeting all the joeys from the last year, the first paper from my PhD was published. Enjoy! https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209679I've also ...

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Published on Sep 21, 2018

Thank you to all my backers for your support and donations. I'm funded!

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Published on Sep 14, 2018

Unlocking the secrets of the swabs

I've been busy in the lab this week extracting DNA from some swabs that have already been collected (some might say, the 'less glamorous' side of my research). Each of these little tubes hold a pi...

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Published on Sep 04, 2018

Matching noses

One of the perks of the work I do is getting to meet plenty of cute little faces (check out their matching pink noses). This is Aurora getting weighed on the scales with her mother Dawn, who is h...

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Published on Aug 28, 2018

Has anyone seen my koala?

Ready for another vet exam. The swabs you can see in the picture are the ones we use to sample the koalas for Chlamydia testing. Hmm, now the only item I'm missing is my koala.... :)

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Published on Aug 23, 2018

Koala release cam

This is Jim being released back into his capture tree after a clean bill of health at his veterinary examination.https://www.facebook.com/endeavourvet/videos/211548146382150/

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Published on Aug 22, 2018

The cutie in my cover photo

Wondering who the star model for my project is? This is Tanja, a young female. This photo was taken when she was in care at Endeavour Veterinary Ecology receiving treatment for Chlamydia. Unfort...

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Thanks for the kind words everyone.
Nov 15, 2019
Is habitat quality a key factor in determining whether koalas develop chlamydial disease?
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Yes, they are Joyce. Habitat degradation is the number one threat to the survival of the koala. However, because so many of our declining koala populations are becoming fragmented due to this habitat degradation, if they are affected by chlamydial disease, this not only decreases the overall health of the population but it also makes them more susceptible to stochastic events (for example, bushfires). Further, eventually the population will reach a tipping point, and if the majority of females are infertile due to chlamydial disease and there is no immigration to bring in healthy breeding females with diverse genetics (because the population is isolated), then chlamydial disease can certainly cause the final extinction of these populations.
Apr 10, 2019
Is habitat quality a key factor in determining whether koalas develop chlamydial disease?
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Thanks very much Renee!
Sep 21, 2018
Is habitat quality a key factor in determining whether koalas develop chlamydial disease?
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Thanks Derrian!
Sep 19, 2018
Is habitat quality a key factor in determining whether koalas develop chlamydial disease?
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Thanks Pommers!
Sep 11, 2018
Is habitat quality a key factor in determining whether koalas develop chlamydial disease?
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I think they feel more secure if they can still hold on to mum while she's asleep, rather than being separated. When the vet exam is finished and mum is starting to recover, the joey often bites her around her neck as if to say "Hey, get up, why are you sleeping now!?!"
Sep 05, 2018
Is habitat quality a key factor in determining whether koalas develop chlamydial disease?
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Could you recognise her in the selfie (she's the same koala leaning out on my cover page)? We often look at things like pigmentation in the nose, whether she has eyeliner or white rings around her eyes, and ear shape and fluffiness to identify them from their faces.
Aug 23, 2018
Is habitat quality a key factor in determining whether koalas develop chlamydial disease?
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These permit approvals allow us to capture koalas for veterinary examinations and to fit tracking devices so that we can monitor individual and population health, collect research samples (for my work and for collaborations with a number of other universities and researchers including the University of Queensland, Murdoch University, and the Department of Environment and Science) so that we maximise the value of each koala interaction, analyse these research samples for infectious diseases, and conduct field trials of the prototype koala Chlamydia vaccine.
Aug 16, 2018
Is habitat quality a key factor in determining whether koalas develop chlamydial disease?
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