Rescuers in Australia are using dogs to save koalas as fires ravage parts of the country.
The owner of TATE Animal Training Enterprises, which trains dogs on how to find threatened species, told ABC News his team of canines has rescued dozens of koalas.
One dog, 4-year-old Taylor, has helped save eight koalas since September, Tate said.
The dogs sniff for koala fur or the marsupial’s feces to locate them. Trainers use the command, “Koala, find,” to communicate the dogs’ mission.
The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, a California-based organization, said the dogs are “a critical, life-saving tool to help the koala population survive.”
Some of the koalas have suffered burns, with some so severe that they’ve had to be euthanized. Veterinary officer Garnett Hall described one koala’s injuries as being “like a very severe burn in a human who walked across hot coals.”
Hall estimated that 60,000 koalas have been killed or injured in the fires.
It’s estimated that more than 1 billion animals have been killed in the wildfires that have been burning since September.
The wildfires have killed more than 20 people, and millions have been told to evacuate their homes.
