During last year’s bushfires in Australia, a dog saved over 100 koalas and was awarded a gold medal for his bravery.
Last year, Bear the Australian Koolie made a name for himself as a rescue dog when he helped save scores of koalas from the devastating Black Summer wildfires.
Bear, 6, earned the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW) special commendation award for his efforts during a ceremony in the UK House of Lords last month.
Bear appeared via video connection with Sunshine Coast University (USC) handler Dr. Romane Cristescu at the Animal Action Awards to collect recognition for his work.
Credit: International Fund for Animal Welfare
“We believe Bear deserves this honor. He’s been a wonderful guy, helping us identify and save a lot of koalas, especially during the wildfires, but he works all year to help us build a better and safer area for koalas, “Cristescu added, according to 9News.
Credit: International Fund for Animal Welfare
“Bear and our team are cooperatively exploring the impacts of the 2019-20 wildfires on the health and habitat density of koalas. with IFAW,” Dr. Cristescu stated in a USC press statement on October 26.
“In addition, Bear works with local rescue groups on a regular basis to locate koalas for welfare rescue operations. He’s always willing to provide a hand in the search for koalas as part of Detection Dogs for Conservation’s other research projects.
Dr. Cristescu and the USC Conservation Detector Canines team acquire and train rescue dogs to locate out koalas in need of help.
Dr. Cristescu stated last year that the qualities that make Bear a more difficult pet are the talents that make him great at discovering abandoned koalas.
“When we’re looking for a new dog, we notify all rescue groups,” she explained, “since what we seek for in a dog frequently makes them tough pets.” “There’s a lot of energy here, and I’m obsessed with playing.”
The 2019-21 Black Summer wildfires in New South Wales, Australia, were the worst ever recorded.
According to the Australian Government-run Disaster Resilience Knowledge Center, 26 people died, 2,338 dwellings were damaged, and 5.5 million hectares of land were burned in just a few months.
He also stated the impact on communities, farmers, local businesses, animals, and bushland in the state will be “unprecedented.”
