Koalas struggling to survive the deadly bushfires in Australia have found an unlikely saviour.
Bear, a dog with obsessive compulsive disorder, has been helping animal rescuers by sniffing out the marsupials in burnt out forests. The mutt, a cattle dog cross-breed, is ideally suited to the task, as he is trained to find both koalas and quolls - another small Australian marsupial - in the wild.Dogs should normally be kept apart from the Australian native species as koalas are very easily stressed by man's best friend.
Dog owners are advised not to let their pets to"play" with them and to always use a leash when in the bush.Around 350 koalas are feared killed in the bushfires ravaging Australia. Pic: IFAW/Facebook Romane Cristescu, Bear's minder and ecologist at The University of the Sunshine Coast, said:"This is the first year that we have been involved in the fires. It is a bit more dangerous than what we usually do."Bear, who is sponsored by the International Fund for Animal Welfare , usually looks for sick or injured wildlife for conservation and research purposes.