It wasn’t long ago that bushfires overwhelmed Australia, leaving an estimated 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres) of land charred. But from the ashes, we have since seen stories of hope emerge from Australia, which we have shared to remind us of nature’s resilience.
For instance, conservationists were frightened when the fires approached Mount Kaputar in New South Wales, the home of rare fluorescent pink slugs. But when wildlife rangers visited the mountains after the blaze, they found the Mount Kaputar slugs had survived by retreating into the rock crevices. In another story from January 16th, photographers were surprised to find small plants and rose-colored shrubs sprouting amongst the ashes just days after a fire had gone through the landscape.
Today, we share with you the story of Bear, an Australian Koolie dog who was abandoned by his family and has since been retrained to detect koalas. Bear has been following the aftermath of Australia’s bushfires since January, finding sick, injured, or starving koalas that otherwise would have perished. He has now rescued more than 100. The BBC recently made a great video about Bear’s big role in the aftermath of the Australian bushfires. You can watch it here.
