Wanted: ball-obsessed rescue dog to save Australia's endangered koalas from fires and floods

Bear, an 11-year-old koala detection dog, retired in March after a decade of helping rescue endangered koalas from fires and floods. Conservationists now need a successor to cover gaps left by human spotters and infrared detection technologies. The ideal dog must be energetic, highly motivated to fetch, and uninterested in chasing wildlife. Bear’s training focused on the scent of live koalas, often high above the ground, rather than droppings. During the Black Summer bushfires, Bear helped locate more than 100 koalas, many requiring urgent veterinary care. Conservation groups are working with the University of the Sunshine Coast and a French canine expert to train the next detection dog, likely medium-sized and under two years old, comfortable moving through dense bush.

"Bear retired in March after a decade helping rescue koalas, leaving conservationists scrambling to find a new recruit capable of plugging gaps left by human spotters and infrared detection technologies. The ideal candidate will be energetic, obsessed with fetching balls and have absolutely zero interest in chasing wildlife. Those dogs often don't make the ideal family pets, but Bear was born to be a detection dog, the International Fund for Animal Welfare Oceania programs head, Josey Sharrad, said."

"During the Black Summer bushfires, Bear helped find more than 100 koalas, many in need of urgent veterinary care. His red boots and life-saving work attracted an international following, including stars Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. Now, conservation groups are teaming up with the University of the Sunshine Coast and a French canine expert to train the next koala detection dog. Frederic Chappee spent years leading canine units in the French army before training anti-poaching dogs in Africa and Indonesia."

"The successful recruit will likely be medium-sized, younger than two years old and comfortable charging through dense bush, he said. Unlike other koala detection dogs, which are trained to sniff out droppings, Bear was trained on the scent of live koalas - often high above the ground. That'"

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