The Japan Times - Paw-fect candidate: Australia finds new koala rescue dog

Bear surrendered his collar in March after a decade of being a very good boy as one of the first dogs in the country to be trained to detect the scent of koala fur.

Those skills were critical in helping rescuers to find marsupial survivors of bush fires.

With Bear's retirement, the International Fund for Animal Welfare launched a search for his successor, admitting: "He's leaving very big boots to fill."

Among dozens of applications from across the country -- and as far afield as the United States -- an Australian koolie called Oaka stood out.

"We didn't know it would be possible to find a new Bear. He was truly one of a kind... but then along came Oaka," said Josey Sharrad, the welfare fund's Oceania head of programmes.

"Bear showed the world what's possible when a rescue dog is given a second chance and finds its true purpose. I see that same spark in Oaka."

Oaka, like Bear, was considered "too much to handle" by her family, the group said.

But her potential was spotted by a local rescue group, who submitted an application. She then passed the initial test "with flying colours".

The animal welfare group's director of canine units, Frederic Chappee said Oaka was "almost too good to be true".

"For many people around the world, Bear became an icon. But what makes Bear truly unique is not only what he achieved, but the void he left behind. It's a void that I am hopeful Oaka can fill," he said.

Bear's skills saved over 100 koalas as the Black Summer bushfires raged across Australia's eastern seaboard from late 2019 to early 2020, razing millions of hectares, destroying thousands of homes and blanketing cities in noxious smoke.

With Australia's fire services warning that the start of the northern hemisphere summer later this year could see more intense blazes, Oaka's training will be fast-tracked.

"We know how critical it is to have a highly skilled koala detection dog back in the field, helping protect one of Australia's most iconic species," Sharrad said.

"With El Nino already here and a tough summer on the horizon, our koalas will need all the help they can get, whether it comes on two legs or four."

S.Yamamoto--JT