Dog Receives Medal for Rescuing Over 100 Koalas

Every dog has its day, and one six-year-old pooch in particular got its time to shine for its heroic efforts during the 2019-20 bushfires in Australia.

Bear the Australian koolie was recently awarded a gold medal by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for rescuing over 100 injured koalas from the bushfires that ravaged Australia for 11 months.

Trained at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Bear was able to use his enhanced sense of smell to sniff out injured koalas among the ashes and debris. This enabled the marsupials to receive immediate on-site treatment and care for burns, dehydration and malnourishment.

Appearing via video-link during the recent IFAW Animal Action Awards event in London’s House of Lords, Bear – accompanied by his handler, Dr Romane Cristescu – accepted the award.

Dr Cristescu said: “He’s been such a good boy in helping us find and rescue a lot of koalas, especially during the bushfires, but he works throughout the year to help us in our job to make a better and safer place for koalas. We’ll give Bear extra pats and extra play for his award.”

Indeed, we couldn’t think of a better awardee – well done, Bear!

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