Detection Dogs for Conservation

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Sippy Downs, QLD
Detection Dogs for Conservation

The Detection Dogs for Conservation mission is to assist land managers and researchers to study and protect native fauna and flora using detection dogs.

The Detection Dogs for Conservation's mission is to assist land managers, conservationists and researchers to study and protect native fauna and flora. We want our work to be grounded in science and affordable, this is why we are University based and non-for-profit. We work both as a consultancy - we deliver surveys for businesses and government - and as a research team - we push innovations and c

ollect data on applied scientific questions. Our biggest difference with consultancy companies working with detection dogs is that 100% of any profit is reinvested in research and conservation. SPECIFIC GOALS:

We will train, test and deploy detection dogs to find any target scent from fauna to flora, from direct to indirect signs (poo or scats), from terrestrial to aquatic, from rare and endangered to invasive species. We will investigate novel uses of detection dogs such as disease or pheromone detection, as well as non-invasive methods to determine population characteristics based on scats. By working with Government representatives and NGOs, we will ensure the dogs are trained to make the biggest impact for conservation in the immediate future. We will collaboratively work toward providing accuracy guidelines to ensure detection dogs used to improve conservation are of the best quality and deliver on each assignment. NOTE:

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24/05/2026

Hello all - we’re looking for new puppies to adopt!! Ball obsessed and less than 2 year old - more details below.

Assessments ongoing all week!!!!

Tag a dog rescue group, please help us spread the word!!!

We are searching for a rescue dog who is:

✔ Under two years old: Young enough to undergo rigorous training and have a long career ahead.

✔ 100% toy-obsessed: They must want to play every single day. For this dog, toys are king—they shouldn’t care about other dogs or distractions.

✔ Zero prey drive: This is crucial. They must be completely non-aggressive and show absolutely no interest in chasing, hunting, or barking at other animals, birds, or cats—it is essential they show zero desire to hunt wildlife.

✔ Fearless and social: They need to be naturally confident, well-socialised with humans, and completely unfazed by new places.

✔ Goldilocks sized: A medium build is best—not so small that they struggle to navigate the thick Aussie bush, but not so big that a handler can’t carry them over obstacles if needed.

✔ Fit and healthy: Ready for long, rugged bushwalks followed by even more playtime.

23/05/2026

Hello all - we’re looking for new puppies to adopt!! Ball obsessed and less than 2 year old - more details below.

Assessments ongoing all week!!!!

Tag a dog rescue group, please help us spread the word!!!

We are searching for a rescue dog who is:

✔ Under two years old: Young enough to undergo rigorous training and have a long career ahead.

✔ 100% toy-obsessed: They must want to play every single day. For this dog, toys are king—they shouldn't care about other dogs or distractions.

✔ Zero prey drive: This is crucial. They must be completely non-aggressive and show absolutely no interest in chasing, hunting, or barking at other animals, birds, or cats—it is essential they show zero desire to hunt wildlife.

✔ Fearless and social: They need to be naturally confident, well-socialised with humans, and completely unfazed by new places.

✔ Goldilocks sized: A medium build is best—not so small that they struggle to navigate the thick Aussie bush, but not so big that a handler can't carry them over obstacles if needed.

✔ Fit and healthy: Ready for long, rugged bushwalks followed by even more playtime.

19/05/2026

📣 Exciting news! 🎉

We have been cooking this one up for a while, and now we’re finally in a position to share that we’ve expanded our research to include greater gliders! 😍😃

These incredible animals are beautiful, still poorly understood, and need our attention more than ever, having recently been classified as endangered. Using our arboreal marsupial experience and the rapidly improving technologies we routinely deploy for our koala surveys, we now have new ways to study greater gliders - another wonderfully cryptic species 🙈🌳.

We’ll be out in the field using our survey drone and of course our detection dogs 🐕 to help uncover where these elusive animals live and how they use their habitat across South-East Queensland and beyond 🌳.

Have you ever spotted one in the wild? They’re rarely seen - but that’s part of what makes them so special ✨.

However, we also often only protect what we see and understand: not the hidden, quiet, nocturnal species. Thus, we think our recent ability to capture amazing footage could help protect greater gliders. Showing this video 📺 to friends and family - the reaction was unanimous: these could be the cutest animals ever seen! And some believed it was too cute to actually be a real species!

We’re excited to learn more about these unique animals and help contribute to their conservation. We hope you’ll join us on that journey 🌏

14/05/2026

Oscar’s story 🐨🌳

Meet Oscar - a tiny koala who didn’t have the easiest start.

Oscar was first spotted by a resident after taking a tumble off his mum’s back. When rescuers arrived, his mum had climbed to the top of a very tall tree, making it impossible to safely capture her. To make sure Oscar wasn’t injured, he was brought into care for a veterinary check 🩺 and later remained in human care to support his start to life as a reunion with his mum was not possible.

After some time in care, and once he had grown and reached around 3kg, he graduated to a special fenced area filled with koala food trees - the perfect little training ground for human raised joeys to climb, explore, browse, and practise all the skills they’ll need in the wild 🌳

A few months later, after putting on some more weight, mastering his koala skills 🧗‍♂️, and passing his final veterinary assessment, Oscar was officially ready for release 🌳

Swipe through the photos and join Oscar on his journey - from “measuring-cup-sized” joey to a confident sub-adult koala boy ready for the wild 🐨💚

08/05/2026

It’s a wrap 🎬🎉
And what a blast it was!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for Wild Koala Day at the last weekend and made the event so special. We hope you had as much fun as we did and walked away with a few new insights along the way 🐨😃

From inspiring presentations and engaging talks to fantastic stalls, walks on country and dog demonstrations - and of course, great coffee ☕ - it truly was a wonderful day celebrating our iconic koalas ☀️

A big thank you to all our collaborators for being part of the day and helping us raise awareness and celebrate koala conservation 🫶🏼:

Kabi Kabi Aboriginal Corporation, , , ,

We’re so grateful to be part of such a passionate community 🐨👥💚

Tell us what you thought of the event, what you enjoyed most, whether you’d like us to continue it next year, what else you’d like to see us do for Wild Koala Day, etc! We want to hear from you! 🗣️👂

📸 &

28/04/2026

A little glimpse of what’s coming for Wild Koala Day 🐨🌿

Join us for a free, family-friendly morning of koalas, conservation, detection dog demos, and hands-on activities on the Sunshine Coast.

📍 Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens
🗓️ 3 May | 9am–1pm

🎟️ Free event — register via Eventbrite (link in bio)
🥪 BYO lunch

23/04/2026

Event warning - Sunny Coast: Wild Koala Day 2026 🐨

Koalas, detection dogs & kids’ fun!

Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens | 3 May | 9am–1pm

🎟️ Free event | Registration encouraged
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1987664456897?aff=oddtdtcreator

Bring the family along to enjoy a community wildlife event featuring detection dogs & kids’ fun! 🐕

Join us for a free, family-friendly community event celebrating koalas and the incredible conservation work happening right here on the Sunshine Coast, with talks, demos, wildlife activities and hands-on learning.
Wild Koala Day brings together researchers, conservation groups, and the community for a morning of exploration, learning, and hands-on activities designed for all ages, including a cultural learning experience led by the Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation, sharing knowledge of Country.

🌿 What’s on:
* Live detection dog demonstrations
* ⁠Koala tracking demonstration where you can learn how we use our equipment to find koalas
* Short talks from researchers, local organisations, and students
* Koala-themed kids’ activities and interactive learning stations
* Complete your Koala Detective Passport to win a prize!
* Bear to the Rescue - Colouring competitions
* Tracking technology displays and wildlife monitoring insights
* Walk on Country led by Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation
* Conservation stalls and community groups

Come and meet the passionate people (and dogs!) working to protect our koalas, learn how science and technology are supporting conservation, and discover how you can play a role in safeguarding our wildlife 🐨🌳

Whether you’re bringing the kids, keen to learn something new, or simply want to enjoy a great day out in nature — there’s something for everyone.
Van offering coffee, matcha and snacks on site ☕️🍪

This is a free event, with a pay-what-you-can donation option. Every contribution, big or small, helps support koala conservation, research, and community education.https://payments.usc.edu.au/95Q/tran?UDS_ACTION_DATA=bVFUADRNLwNOX1tyM0JDDS1VQgw5LEQbXTRCLQJDIEcATCsh

10/04/2026

Announcements for all Redland City locals 📣🗓️:
Do you love nature and are curious about koalas? 🐨
Come along and join us at one of ’s koala walks.

Save the dates:
📍 Thursday 16 April 2026 (9am-12pm) at Point Halloran Conservation Area
📍 Saturday 2 May 2026 (9am–11am) at Hilliards Creek Park
📍 Monday 29 June 2026 (9am-12pm) at Fellmonger Park, Ormiston

👟 Bring comfy walking shoes & remember to be sun smart!
📷 Don’t forget your camera
🌳 Ask all your koality questions, explore and have fun

We are looking forward to seeing you there

03/04/2026

Art 🖌️ – Conservation 🌳 – Collaboration 🫂

We are so excited to announce the first official collaboration between the Detection Dogs for Conservation - a non-for-profit organisation working with specially trained dogs to find koalas and their poo - and Josquared Photography - an incredibly talented artist behind both the camera and the pen! 🎉

Koalas are one of the world’s most loved and iconic animals, yet they’re listed as endangered in QLD, NSW and ACT.

Our Detection Dogs for Conservation (DDC for short) team is working hard to help protect this incredible species, and Josquared Photography is supporting our mission by donating any earning from her Koala Notebook to the DDC 😱😍

We, as the DDC, are so lucky to have had the incredible Jojo in our lives for a while now - she has contributed many beautiful pictures, when she is in the field, day and night, with us. And now she has also turned some of our koalas in prints and notebooks!

In general, we think when science and art mix, magic happens! ✨

So we are both grateful when such talented peeps walk into our lives - and we also love supporting independent artists with such amazing talent – let’s just say Jojo’s work is all over our office. You can find all her beautiful art on her website: stickers, mugs, t-shirts, framed artwork and more: https://www.josquared-photography.com/shop 🖼️

We hope you love Jojo’s art as much as we do!

Thank you for supporting local businesses and koala conservation at the same time 🫶🏼

27/03/2026

We need your help!

Koalas are masters of hide 🙈 and seek 🔭 – their quiet nature and natural camouflage make them difficult to spot. That’s why we’re always working to improve our methods and equipment.

A well-established method we use is flying a drone equipped with a thermal camera. Can you spot the warm animal against the cooler environment? 🐨🌳

Yet there is another tool, based on a similar idea, but easier to carry through the bush... which would make a great addition and huge difference for our team!

A handheld thermal monocular.

It would help us spot koalas at night even in areas where we can’t fly drones 🌙 so we can help koalas everywhere.

Our amazing friends at recommended the Pulsar Alaris XQ30 and their night-time finds are seriously great - go check out their page and see! 🤩

If you’d like to support us in getting our own thermal monocular,
please visit our website to donate (tax deductible):
https://www.unisc.edu.au/about/structure/schools/school-of-science-technology-and-engineering/detection-dogs-for-conservation/get-involved

We are incredibly grateful for any contribution towards this goal. 🫶

Address

Sippy Downs, QLD
4556

Website

http://www.usc.edu.au/DDC, https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/unisc-wild-koala-day-free-family-event-tickets-1987664456897?

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