A lousy pet but a perfect rescue dog, this Koolie has rescued over 100 koalas

Bear sits with his handler Romane Cristescu.

Bear, a five-year-old rescue dog, is a “very happy soul”, according to his handler, Romane Cristescu, a French ecologist in Australia. He also has a very special skill: detecting koalas.

Unlike many other detection dogs, who are trained on the odour of scat, Bear is trained on the scent of live koala fur.