Amelia and Jazz the koalas

In early 2020, we deployed Bear, the USC x IFAW koala detection dog, to help sniff out and locate animals injured by the bushfires. The team embarked to the site of Two Thumbs Wildlife Sanctuary in New South Wales. Using the scent of their fur, Bear found a mother koala (Jessie) and her joey (Amelia) in need of help. We took the pair of koalas to Australian National University for emergency care and specialized rehabilitation. During the checkup and ultrasound, we found out that Jessie was pregnant! The team named the little joey Jazz and made sure to give her specialized attention. On August 26th, 2020, all three koalas were successfully released back into the wild.