When Bear, the world-famous koala detection dog, entered retirement, his trainers feared his little red fire-ground boots might never be filled. 

The 11-year-old Koolie stepped back in May after years spent helping track koalas either sick or left stranded following disasters. 

His life-saving work, which included finding more than 100 koalas following the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, attracted international acclaim. 

Among Bear’s fans were Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, added to thousands of online followers and conservationists everywhere. 

When he opted for the quieter life in the care of his new owner on the Sunshine Coast, a search immediately began for Bear’s replacement. 

Enter Oaka: A two-year-old female Koolie whose application immediately blew her dozens of fellow applicants out of contention. 

“It felt like we had struck gold twice,” the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Oceania programs head Josey Sharrad said. 

Like her predecessor, Oaka was a rescue dog, whose unruly, hyper behaviour proved too much to handle for her former owners. 

“The qualities that make dogs not a great family pet are often the qualities that make them become a detection dog,” Sharrad said.

It was at Oaka’s rescue home at Coffs Harbour, on NSW’s north coast, where a local dog trainer recognised her potential.

Convinced her pet had what it took, Oaka’s trainer submitted an application before accepting an invitation to visit the Sunshine Coast for an in-person test.

Sharrad believes Oaka has what it takes as a koala detection dog. Photo: supplied

“Within minutes of meeting Oaka … we knew she was the one,” Sharrad said. 

Beyond their similarities in breed and background, Oaka has Bear’s same hyper-fixation on play, and his determination to return the ball at all costs. 

The two-year-old was quickly adopted and now lives on the Sunshine Coast, training alongside other fellow detection dogs. 

Like Bear, however, Oaka’s responsibilities are greater than those of her new roommates, and she’s being trained in a more sophisticated line of detection work. 

She will be tasked with smelling koalas not by their droppings, but their fur, often metres above ground-level. 

Alongside drones and human spotters, she will be trained to spot koalas that have been cut off from food and water after bushfires, floods and cyclones. 

Koalas were listed as endangered along much of Australia’s east coast after catastrophic habitat loss during the Black Summer fires.

While Oaka will not be deployed until she is field-ready, the approach of what is expected to be another devastating bushfire season has added urgency. 

“Our koalas will need all the help they can get, whether it comes on two legs or four,” Sharrad said.

-AAP