Koala detection dog helps sniff out koalas following Australian bushfires

Koala detection dog helps sniff out koalas following Australian bushfires

A dog named Bear has been helping to save injured koalas following devastating bushfires in Australia.

Wearing socks to protect his paws, he is sent into safe burnt-out areas to sniff out koala faeces and fur.

When he smells a koala, he sits very still to alert his handler that an animal is nearby.

Bear is a rescue dog, given up by his former owners as he was not well suited to life as a pet because he was intelligent and highly energetic.

He now works as a koala detection dog for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) alongside his handler, Rianna, from the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Detection Dogs for Conservation.