Meet The Hero Dogs Who Rescue Koalas From Australia's Wildfires

Meet The Hero Dogs Who Rescue Koalas From Australia's Wildfires

The wildfire season in New South Wales, Australia, has been taking a toll on wildlife of all kinds, including koalas, who often find themselves trapped in trees as embers rage around them.

But they’re being rescued one by one, and it’s due in part to amazing working koala dogs like Bear the mixed border collie and Taylor the springer spaniel.

Bear and his handler, Romane Cristescu, work with IFAW, an Australian non-profit. His first family couldn’t handle his high energy, but that just makes him all the better at what he does. He’s happy all the time and never wants to stand still. Taylor, on the other hand, was bred directly from a long line of working canines, and her own dad dog and siblings work in a similar field.

But how to dogs locate koalas? Well, canines have very strong noses with a very powerful sense of smell, allowing them to differentiate different animals. They are trained to recognize the scent of a koala, and they use their noses to trail the dung or fur of the marsupial. Once they find the koala, they stand beneath the tree where the koala is and alert their handlers.

It’s an incredible job!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay

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