Bear is a dog who is doing his best to save the Koala species from Going extinct. Yes, you read that right.
Bear is a specially-trained Border Collie/Koolie mix who works with Detection Dogs for Conservation. He has been trained to sniff out and detect sick and injured koalas in the wild.
He was sent out to several burned areas in Australia where the recent fires have been so bad they may have already caused some species to go extinct!
The 6-year-old bear has been deployed to find any Koalas that survive the fires in order to save its life.
The international fund for Animal welfare has posted on their Facebook page:
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 highly focused and brilliant at focusing on one thing – his ball which is his reward, which makes him perfectly suited for the job. He also has zero prey drive which is essential for a wildlife detection dog as they need to focus purely on the scent and not the animal, ultimately ignoring the animal.
International Fund for Animal Welfare representative to the Media
Bear’s work is crucial because the fires in South Wales are already causing the numbers of Koalas to diminish quickly, and some populations of the species are already dangerously close to extinction.
Things are even more serious considering that even those animals that may survive the fires can die from other factors related to the fires, most crucially the lack of food and the injuries they endure.
Devastating bushfires continue to sweep across Australia and threaten the survival of iconic species. In New South Wales, some local koala populations could be pushed to the brink of extinction. Australia’s wildlife can’t battle this disaster alone. We must work together to save these animals before it’s too late
The International Fund for Animal Welfare
You too can help save the Koalas and other animals that are fighting for their survival. Find out how you can help the Wildlife in Australia here.
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