A dog put up for adoption because it didn’t make a “good pet” has been retrained to save koalas from Australia’s bushfires.
In the last couple of weeks, wildfires have spread across New South Wales, Queensland and the Sunshine Coast, in Australia, causing the deaths of at least three people and the destruction of 150 homes.
The fires are spreading so quickly that firefighters have been given broad powers under the state of emergency to control government resources, force evacuations, and closed roads.
Unfortunately, not only were people’s homes destroyed, but many animals have suffered as well.
Because of this, there are teams made specifically to check whether there are surviving koalas in the burned areas.
But there is one fire-fighting team tasked with a very specific job: saving the injured and orphaned koala bears who are caught up in the blaze.
Bear, a border collie-Kollie cross is reportedly the only dog in the world, according to his handlers, who can find koalas by the scent of their fur alone.
According to International Fund for Animal Welfare, “Our koala detection dog Bear is bringing a glimmer of hope for koalas suffering from Australia’s deadly bushfires—but these animals need more heroes to save them from this ongoing disaster.
Our koala detection dog Bear is an integral part of these rescue efforts.
He was recently deployed to southeast Queensland and one of the hardest-hit areas of New South Wales where the bushfires decimated local koala populations.
Bear is one of the few detection dogs who can locate live koalas through the scent of their fur,”
Bear is now 6-years old and was originally a family pet, but after being diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he was sent to a dog pound according to the Brisbane Times.
Although his condition might have meant he wasn’t a perfect house pet, the staff at the Sunshine Coast University and the International Fund for Animal Welfare who rescued him knew he’d make an ideal detection dog.
Recommended video!
“This Is The Only Man In The World Who Can Swim With A Polar Bear”
[rumble video_id=vepyw domain_id=u7nb2]