Bear the detection dog helps protect Australia's endangered quoll

The Northern quoll is a carnivorous marsupial with dark greyish brown fur, white spots, and a long furry tail. Once abundant across Australia, this charismatic animal now faces a drastic decline that originated in 1935 when the cane toad was introduced to Australia. Initially brought to Queensland as a form of beetle control, the toad wreaked devastation on wildlife and continues to kill small animals with its venomous glands. Today, the Northern quoll can be found in Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia. It is listed as endangered by Australia’s Environment legislation, with only a handful of viable populations left. This is where Bear’s work comes into play.

Every morning, Bear and his handler Riana patrol a construction site in Far North Queensland in search of quolls. Using his innate sense of smell, Bear scans up and down the site, alerting Riana anytime he detects quoll scent. When Riana and Bear successfully locate a quoll, authorities block off the area and safely relocate the animal to a secured habitat.