A dog saved over 100 koalas from bushfires in Australia the previous year and received a gold medal for his courage.
Bear the Australian Koolie gained notoriety as a rescue dog the previous year when he assisted in rescuing several koalas from the terrible Black Summer wildfires.
In a ceremony held in the UK House of Lords last month, Bear, age 6, received the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW) special commendation award for his efforts.
At the Animal Action Awards, Bear came via video link with his handler Dr. Romane Cristescu from Sunshine Coast University (USC) to accept accolades for his efforts.
“We think Bear deserves to get this accolade. He’s been a great person, helping us find and save a lot of koalas, especially during the wildfires, but he works all year to support our efforts to provide a better and safer environment for koalas, Cristescu continued, as reported by 9News.
Dr. Cristescu said in a USC news release on October 26 that “Bear and our team are collaboratively researching the consequences of the 2019–20 wildfires on the health and habitat density of koalas.”
Additionally, Bear frequently collaborates with neighborhood rescue organizations to find koalas for welfare rescue missions. He’s always eager to provide a helping hand in Detection Dogs for Conservation’s other research efforts, which include looking for koalas.
To find koalas in need of assistance, Dr. Cristescu and the USC Conservation Detector Canines team train and recruit rescue canines.
Last year, Dr. Cristescu claimed that Bear’s abilities for finding abandoned koalas are what make him a more challenging companion.
She said, “Since what we need in a dog usually makes them challenging companions, when we are searching for a new dog, we alert rescue groups.” “This place is buzzing with excitement, and I can’t stop playing.”
The flames that broke out in Australia’s New South Wales from 2019 to 21 were the worst ever seen.
The Australian Government-run Disaster Resilience Knowledge Center reports that in a few of months, 5.5 million hectares of land were burned, 2,338 homes were destroyed, and 26 people perished.
