Koala Detection Dogs | Community organisation

Koala Detection Dogs

Phone: +61 488 131 304

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• Community organisation
• Environmental conservation organisation
• Environmental service

25.01.2022 It took us a while to spot this koala that Missy located today. Can you see him? No hints just yet, lets first see how you go without tips! *Update: ok he is in the top centre of the photo, in the tall ironbark. Posting a close-up in the comments for those who may still struggle to spot him.*... #threatenedspecies #koala #conservation #detectiondog #detectiondogs #conservationdog #conservationdogs #australia With Fiona Hogan and Olivia Woosnam

24.01.2022 Taz just now this morning. We all have the weekend off at home What are you and your dogs up to this weekend? #springerspaniel #workingspringer #ESS #koaladetectiondogs #threatenedspecies #conservationdogs #relaxing

23.01.2022 Some shots from today. Now over half way through the large non-invasive Koala sampling program we are currently conducting across Brisbane for Federation University Australia. Taz & Missy are having a great time finding us plenty of Koala scats dripping with DNA for analysis #threatenedspecies #koala #brisbane #conservation #fieldwork #conservationdogs #detectiondogs #EDD #ESS #workingspringer #springerspaniel With Fiona Hogan and Olivia Woosnam

23.01.2022 Action shots from the Fraser Coast, from which we came back last night With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam #conservationdogs #detectiondogs #threatenedspecies #koala #quoll #fieldwork

22.01.2022 Do you think Taz enjoyed her ritual de-seeding groom at the end of today's work, or what? Taz has been with us for over 5 years now, we've done thousands of kilometres of searches with her, yet she does not cease to impress us. Today she once again pulled off some truly astonishing moves. It's not just her scent abilities that are amazing, but also her object retrieval skills. She will detect an old Koala scat buried in the soil under thick leaf litter, then use her paws an...d nose to get to it, grab it with a 'soft mouth' and gently deposit it on the surface for us to see. (If we're close enough, she will even spit it out right in our hands.) She does this with surgical precision. We don't need to say or do anything, she is 100% autonomous and knows exactly what she is doing. Back in 2014 she was the first full-blown professional Koala detection dog; she set the benchmark real high to start with, and she keeps making sure she pushes that bar ever higher. So much respect & admiration for that little gal... With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam #koala #detectiondogs #detectiondog #springer #springerspaniel #threatenedspecies #ecology #koala #fieldwork

22.01.2022 Almost there... Just one more day to go to complete a large non-invasive Koala genetic sampling program. We just told Missy and shes obviously looking forward to some well deserved R&R! As for Taz, well shes just disappointed to hear its almost over #threatenedspecies #detectiondogs #koaladetectiondogs #koala #conservation #survey #workingspringer #springerspaniel #ESS With Olivia Woosnam

21.01.2022 Hmmm Not looking good for lands affected by this large fire that occurred in early October (so close to 6 months ago now) in South East Queensland. In places, the majority of trees are dead. In other patches, some are just starting to come back, but struggling despite >400mm of rain since the fire ripped through. Dont be fooled by the apparent lushness of the ground: these are mostly weeds running amock. Little to no signs of life, be it mammals or reptiles or even insects.... Extremely rare are even the birds to be seen or heard. In areas hit that badly, it may take numerous years before you recover the values that once occurred... However grim the situation though, Taz & Missy keep/and keep us smiling We already know of one Koala that survived this inferno; hopefully our optimistic duo find more survivors in the days to come. With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

21.01.2022 Nearing the end of a large survey for a fantastic applied research-for-conservation study. So far our dogs have searched over 160km, found Koala scats or live Koalas at 500 locations, and we have already collected >1,000 scats dripping with DNA. A lot of highly valuable data collected in record time, which will be directly used to inform tangible conservation actions. Just a few more days of field survey to go! Top left: one of the live Koalas located by our detection dogs... Top right: mum & joey scats (were finding plenty of tiny bub scats, how cute are they!) Bottom: Missy in action #threatenedspecies #koala #conservation #research #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #australia #brisbane #ESS #springerspaniel #workingspringer #koaladetectiondogs With Federation University Australia and Olivia Woosnam

21.01.2022 We realise we hadnt shared this video well put together by WWF-Australia earlier this year about some of our post-fire Koala assessment work. Thanks to Matt Hansen for following us for a day with his drone. (As for the the low res footage, its all we do with our mobile phones!) With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam... https://www.facebook.com/wwfaustralia/videos/502557177124459/?extid=jzGtmPpIlo0egJCg&d=null&vh=e

20.01.2022 And it's a wrap! Successfully & safely completed the large non-invasive Koala DNA sampling program that's been keeping us busy the last few weeks Taz & Missy searched 200km, found Koala scats at 588 locations, and total 2,000 scats collected for analysis. Pic below is the very last parcel full of DNA samples sent off to the Federation University Australia lab. #threatenedspecies #koala #conservation #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #australia #fieldwork #ecology #koaladete...ctiondogs With Olivia Woosnam

20.01.2022 Yesterday was like that all day... Understorey of very dense ferns, often above head height, making each step a battle. Thank goodness for our diligent little k9 troopers who found multiple locations with Koala scats that there is simply no way humans alone could possibly find in this! This is when the very precise pinpointing we get our dogs to do is critical. They dont simply sit or lie down near scats theyve detected like most detection dogs this just isnt sufficien...t in complex understoreys but they actively help us recover scats. By using their nose & paws to expose them, and/or delicately pick them up in their mouth and deposit them at the surface for us. That part of their training is essential to the success of a survey in such dense ecosystems. It takes a lot of time & careful targeted reinforcement to achieve this, yes, but it is worth it. In easy forests it means we recover target scats very very fast, and in very complex forests where most cant work it means we are still operational. A very dense understorey is never our preference of course, it is very hard-wearing on our human legs but if thats what needs assessing, OWAD can. #koala #conservation #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #koaladetectiondogs #threatenedspecies #ecology #fieldwork #survey With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

19.01.2022 Here Taz, in another type of vest already in our PPE gear. That one used more in very scrubby country or areas with lots of trees & tree limbs down, primarily to protect against neck and chest injuries. This particular vest we can use all year round, and in winter they can sometimes keep it on all day. #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #koaladetectiondogs #EDD #threatenedspecies #fieldwork #ecology #PPE #koala #quoll #orchid #undergroundorchid #ESS #workingspringer #springerspaniel With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

19.01.2022 Footage from fieldwork last week showing how our Springers work, and how we control & guide them with a dog whistle: https://youtu.be/ETv9gGM8l7M With Olivia Woosnam #threatenedspecies #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #koaladetectiondogs #koala #springers #springerspaniels #workingspringers #EDD #ESS #dogwhistle #ecology #fieldwork

19.01.2022 Currently on a large survey, more details soon about this particular Koala study. Footage OWAD Environment www.owad.com.au #threatenedspecies #koala #detectiondogs #conservation #conservationdogs #fieldwork #ESS #workingspringer #springerspaniel... With Fiona Hogan Olivia Woosnam Federation University Australia Wild DNA

17.01.2022 Leg-resting day today for everyone. These two sure know how to keep themselves (and us) entertained on days off #workingspringers #springerspaniels #ESS #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #australia #threatenedspecies #koala #koaladetectiondogs With Olivia Woosnam

17.01.2022 Downside of being a sniffer dog: sometimes (well, quite often) you get stuff up your nose that tickles!

16.01.2022 Taz is an absolute weapon in all our Koala studies because amongst others, she has a killer indication. We never have to spend even one second looking for what shes indicating on. When she finds a target scat she lies down nose on it patiently waiting for us to catch up with her, however far we may be. Then once we are close, she uses her nose and paws to gently dig it out and expose it. She makes extra sure we cant pick up the wrong scat (because theres often plenty of ot...her critters scats around, some of which can resemble Koala scat.) When the ground cover is particularly dense and she knows well struggle to see it, shell even pick it with a soft mouth and drop in directly in our hands. In the last two days alone, she found Koala scats at >100 locations; including 34 locations where we collected samples that are being analysed as part of a large conservation research study. Tazs killer indication is just such an amazing time-saver in the field. She has been with us for almost 6 years now, but she still doesnt cease to impress us... She was Australias very first certified Koala detection dog, many have followed in her footsteps but she remains the benchmark! She sure will be hard to beat that one. She is a difficult dog in any aspect that is not work related (she has zero interest in anything that isnt work, and makes sure you know ) but when it comes to work she is an absolute LEGEND. So all is more than forgiven! #threatenedspecies #koala #conservation #detectiondog #detectiondogs #koaladetectiondogs #conservationdogs With Fiona Hogan and Olivia Woosnam

15.01.2022 Lots of messages re the PPE we use on the dogs! Each piece of gear has its pros and cons due to design & material. This other suit in our kit for example is light and breathable (ok to use during our subtropical winter even in the afternoon, provided its a "cool" enough day), minimises seeds and burrs, has good body coverage and with full length on the legs we can tape boots onto it to secure them. The main trade-off is that being a lighter material, it is less tough so is not appropriate in sticky/branchy forests or e.g. areas with lots of Lantana which can shred it or cause the dog to become entangled. #threatenedspecies #conservation #detectiondogs #ecology #fieldwork

15.01.2022 We will post an update re our Underground Orchid work as soon as we can. In the meantime, for those who missed it the first time around, this is one of the videos that the NSW Gov put together a few weeks ago. With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam #threatenedspecies #conservation #fieldwork #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #savingourspecies #sos #orchid #undergroundorchid #koaladetectiondogs

14.01.2022 A very rare photo of all 4 of us in the one frame on a work site. Thanks WWF-Australia for taking this pic and sharing it with us. With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

13.01.2022 https://www.facebook.com/72924719987/posts/10161693217909988/?sfnsn=mo&extid=aK4NFdSlvJ6ECwLV With Olivia Woosnam

12.01.2022 As promised, here is some background about the large project we are currently doing the fieldwork for. Well post some pics soon! https://www.facebook.com/17417023655/posts/10158739508893656/?sfnsn=mo&extid=wRmNxey2aOb6yIms #threatenedspecies #koala #conservation #brisbane #ilovebrisbane #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #australia #springerspaniel #ESS #workingspringer... With Fiona Hogan and Olivia Woosnam

11.01.2022 Some raw footage, to give you a sense of what it's like on the ground. That region is 6 months post fire and has received high rainfall since the blaze. But no amount of water can undo the damage done. The ecological values lost will not be replaced. We are changing the conditions the world lives in, and things are rapidly changing out there as a result. After a severe & long drought topped off by an intense blaze, this area will never be the same again. I wonder what it will look like and who will be living there in 30 years from now... Right now it is still sterile though, zero sign of any ground animal alive. Oh not quite true, we did find one ant colony. It could be years before ground animals start recolonising the region, if not decades for some species.

11.01.2022 Well missed, Missy! #koala #fieldwork #conservationdogs #detectiondogs #koalaDNAsampling #ESS #englishspringerspaniel #workingspringer With Olivia Woosnam

11.01.2022 Good thing that ridicule does not kill We regularly try various PPE to protect the dogs from a whole range of things in the field. Here, Missy trying out a new Speargrass protection suit. #threatenedspecies #conservation #dogs #detectiondogs #springer #spaniel #koala #koaladetectiondogs #fieldwork #ecology #survey #ESS #workingspringer #springerspaniel ... With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

10.01.2022 Pinpointing a fragment of Underground Orchid in an area purposely smeared with its scent. For any species we work on, we ask our dogs to not indicate on scent alone, but to find the target *object* itself. (This is taught through carefully planned sessions, gradually building up to precisely locating one small target object in an area saturated with the target scent.) We do this so that OWAD doesnt lose time recovering targets from the forest floor during surveys, ... Hence we can maximise the amount of ground searched within any given time. Because in the end, this is all that matters. And especially in conservation (as opposed to ecology work prior to developments) where budget & time are almost always severely limited. #threatenedspecies #undergroundorchid #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #EDD #ecology #fieldwork #ESS #springerspaniel #workingspringer With Olivia Woosnam

10.01.2022 Today is leg-resting day, one day break from fieldwork. Apparently we're having a garden party With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam #springer #sprinter #springerspaniel #workingspringer #workingspaniel #detectiondogs #koala #ecology #fieldwork #koaladetectiondogs #threatenedspecies

10.01.2022 What better way to celebrate #wildkoaladay than to be out on fieldwork with Taz & her cousin Missy. Non-invasive Koala genetic sampling (no need to disturb wild Koalas, we collect their scats for lab analysis) for a highly significant Koala conservation study. We will tell you more about this study when we can. Right now, its bed time for all of us! Stay safe everyone. #koala #conservation #wildkoalas #conservationdogs #koaladetectiondogs #ecology #threatenedspecies #fieldwork With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

09.01.2022 "It's right....there". #threatenedspecies #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #EDD #ESS #workingspringer #springerspaniel With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

09.01.2022 Pure bliss, Taz style: found Koala scat (bits of it stuck on her nose here), clench on tennis ball and just lay there belly up while making a sort of rolling gurgle, not unlike a purr. Thats how she rolls In other news wrapped up a 2-week fieldwork trip today. It was pretty intense: black ashy forests that burnt just the week prior, incredibly thick & razor-sharp sedges, dense itchy ferns, heaps of ticks, wet n boggy swamps, you name it this one had it all. Get up at daw...n tomorrow for a 10h drive back home. But little rest for OWAD: wash our clothes, get a good nights sleep and straight onto the next project! #ecology #fieldwork #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #koaladetectiondogs #koala #threatenedspecies With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

08.01.2022 Do you think Taz enjoyed her ritual de-seeding groom at the end of todays work, or what? Taz has been with us for over 5 years now, weve done thousands of kilometres of searches with her, yet she does not cease to impress us. Today she once again pulled off some truly astonishing moves. Its not just her scent abilities that are amazing, but also her object retrieval skills. She will detect an old Koala scat buried in the soil under thick leaf litter, then use her paws an...d nose to get to it, grab it with a soft mouth and gently deposit it on the surface for us to see. (If were close enough, she will even spit it out right in our hands.) She does this with surgical precision. We dont need to say or do anything, she is 100% autonomous and knows exactly what she is doing. Back in 2014 she was the first full-blown professional Koala detection dog; she set the benchmark real high to start with, and she keeps making sure she pushes that bar ever higher. So much respect & admiration for that little gal... With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam #koala #detectiondogs #detectiondog #springer #springerspaniel #threatenedspecies #ecology #koala #fieldwork

08.01.2022 Currently on survey for a large Koala conservation study. Taz & Missy are doing an amazing job as usual. Thank you Black Hawk Pet Care for your continued support! With Olivia Woosnam #threatenedspecies #koala #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #ecology #fieldwork #ESS #springerspaniel #workingspringer Springer Spaniel lovers... Springer Spaniel Owners & Lovers English Springer Spaniel Lovers Working Spaniels See more

08.01.2022 We found the outdoor door?

08.01.2022 And its a wrap! Successfully & safely completed the large non-invasive Koala DNA sampling program thats been keeping us busy the last few weeks Taz & Missy searched 200km, found Koala scats at 588 locations, and total 2,000 scats collected for analysis. Pic below is the very last parcel full of DNA samples sent off to the Federation University Australia lab. #threatenedspecies #koala #conservation #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #australia #fieldwork #ecology #koaladete...ctiondogs With Olivia Woosnam

07.01.2022 Some raw footage, to give you a sense of what its like on the ground. That region is 6 months post fire and has received high rainfall since the blaze. But no amount of water can undo the damage done. The ecological values lost will not be replaced. We are changing the conditions the world lives in, and things are rapidly changing out there as a result. After a severe & long drought topped off by an intense blaze, this area will never be the same again. I wonder what it will look like and who will be living there in 30 years from now... Right now it is still sterile though, zero sign of any ground animal alive. Oh not quite true, we did find one ant colony. It could be years before ground animals start recolonising the region, if not decades for some species.

06.01.2022 We realise we hadn't shared this video well put together by WWF-Australia earlier this year about some of our post-fire Koala assessment work. Thanks to Matt Hansen for following us for a day with his drone. (As for the the low res footage, it's all we do with our mobile phones!) With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam... https://www.facebook.com/wwfaustralia/videos/502557177124459/?extid=jzGtmPpIlo0egJCg&d=null&vh=e

06.01.2022 Who's happy to finally be back in the field #threatenedspecies #fieldwork #workingspringers #ESS #springerspaniels

05.01.2022 We are often asked what Koalas sound like. Here is an excellent recording by Wild Ambience. (Click on the YouTube link in the post below). The first 2 vocalisations are called bellows, often made by males during mating season to broadcast their presence to other males and to potentially interested females. The last vocalisation is a distress call. Often made when a Koala is disturbed: bickering with another Koala, clashing with another animal (Possums, birds,...), a natural predator trying to get them, humans trying to catch them anything that might cause them to be alarmed.

05.01.2022 End of the very first intro session to a new target another threatened species. (We will provide more details on this exciting new OWAD adventure as soon as we can.) Missy already formally indicating on it very confidently, even repositioning her body to be more precise and place her nose directly on it. To the untrained eye, it may look like "magic" that we obtain Missy being so sure & so precise in just one session. Of course, magic doesnt happen "by magic". This is tho...usands of hours of experience (both on our dogs part and on ours), very specific cues given to the dog (cues that our dogs already know), and highly precise timing. On the very first run, even a tenth of a second too soon or too late, IS too soon/too late. Also crucial is knowing how to properly set up a search, which entails many aspects to ensure the dog is onto the actual target and not on e.g. the scent of containers in which samples are kept, not associating the reward with a place, not relying on memory of anything *but* that of the target scent, etc. Only then can magic happen; only then can this be achieved in one session. #threatenedspecies #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #australia #biodiversity #rarespecies #owad #owadenvironment #cenvp With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

04.01.2022 Today is leg-resting day, one day break from fieldwork. Apparently were having a garden party With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam #springer #sprinter #springerspaniel #workingspringer #workingspaniel #detectiondogs #koala #ecology #fieldwork #koaladetectiondogs #threatenedspecies

04.01.2022 Taz & Missy are on forced R&R right now... We recently worked in a region where Speargrass was very bad (we are still doing post-fire Koala surveys), and the @#* Speargrass got its way Taz 2 seeds in a leg that needed minor surgery, and Missy a nasty one that got in the jaw that needed more extensive surgery. See the third picture, thats the one out of Missys jaw... They are both recovering very well, just a few more days of confinement to go and thank goodness because th...ey are like lions in a cage right now! They cannot wait to get back out in the field. With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam #fieldwork #detectiondogs #koaladogs #koaladetectiondogs #koala #ecology #threatenedspecies #thejoysoffieldwork

04.01.2022 A couple of pics from today. With Olivia Woosnam #queensland #australia #koala #threatenedspecies

03.01.2022 Koala scats are not always on the ground. They can fall on branches, or on top of shrubs, or get wedged in bark along tree trunks, etc. Hence our dogs search by both traditional tracking (nose down on the ground) and air-scenting (head high, analysing the air particles above ground level). Today at one point Taz indicated on this precise spot. We first assumed another scat wedged in bark along the trunk, which isnt rare. But as we got closer, we got a bit of a giggle: some i...nsect obviously tried to drag it home, but it didnt quite fit through the front door Question: does anyone know which insect might be the culprit? We are assuming its an insect. There was a dozen of these oval holes on the trunk of this young Lophostemon confertus (Brush Box), which didnt look too happy with a marked split right along its trunk. Any ideas? #koala #fieldwork #threatenedspecies #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #ecology #conservation #survey With Olivia Woosnam

03.01.2022 "Its right....there". #threatenedspecies #detectiondogs #conservationdogs #EDD #ESS #workingspringer #springerspaniel With Alex Dudkowski and Olivia Woosnam

02.01.2022 https://www.facebook.com/148869240409/posts/10159984598540410/?sfnsn=mo&extid=xMN5mz6vfL11R2LW

02.01.2022 Missy did it again! Caught her engaging in play with our pet dog Shaggy. (For those who don't know, it is rare for these Working Springers to ever engage with other dogs.) She is still a bit uncertain how this all works but this play lasted a whole 20 seconds which is her record so far. Shaggy's relentless efforts are slowly paying off! 4 years now he's been training her to play with him Shaggy is the most patient of dogs... #workingspringers #ESS #springerspaniels #koaladetectiondogs #conservationdogs