Conservation Detector
Dog Program
This program harnesses the extraordinary scent detection abilities of specially trained dogs to support wildlife conservation and environmental research. Working alongside skilled handlers, detector dogs help locate endangered species, wildlife scat, invasive species, and other target odours that are often difficult or impossible for humans to find alone.
How It Works
One scent at a time
Detector dogs are trained to recognise a specific target odour, then paired with a handler who reads their behaviour in the field. Together, they can cover ground faster than a human survey team, and pick up on scent trails that are invisible to the naked eye.
By improving survey efficiency, reducing search time, and increasing detection accuracy, these specially trained dogs provide valuable support for conservation projects, ecological monitoring, species recovery efforts, and environmental management across Australia.
Through research, field operations, and public education, this program showcases the powerful role detector dogs can play in protecting our natural environment.
Meet Detector Dog, Moose
On the Job
Moose is trained to detect two very different targets: Fresh Koala scat, which helps researchers locate Koalas in the wild, and the nests of the critically endangered Eastern Bristlebird, which helps our conservation team locate eggs and chicks to support the breeding program‘s genetic diversity.
He can tell a fresh Koala scat from an old one, even in puddles of water, and he has also learnt to find lost keys and reading glasses, a skill that has come in handy for his trainers!
Off Duty
Moose is a Working Cocker Spaniel, full of energy and a true high achiever with a nose as his ultimate super power. He’s agile too, with a repertoire of trained moves that borders on parkour.
Moose demonstrates his skills to schools and community groups, and occasionally makes a cameo appearance in the afternoon Wildskies Bird Show.
Milestones & Achievements
2027
Looking ahead: By 2027 we are hoping to build a training facility, manage up to three detector dogs and trainers, which we are currently seeking funding for. This would allow us to accelerate and expand this conservation program. It would also allow us to collaborate with external partners on additional detector dog conservation work.
2026
In April 2026, Moose located 100% of Eastern Bristlebirds that we hid in a test trial. This perfect score earned him a spot on the Bristlebird team where he helps find active nests in the wild.
2025
Moose arrived at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in April 2025. After months of training, he found his very first wild Koala named Itty, who is part of Currumbin Wildlife Hospital’s vaccine research. Itty had lost her tracker, but thanks to Moose, the team got to continue monitoring Itty’s health and future in the wild. Moose has been locating more Koalas ever since, helping sick and injured ones get life-saving treatment quickly.
2024
One sunny morning while walking through the early quiet hours of the Sanctuary Michael Vella, Wildlife Conservation Specialist, had an idea: What if, thereโs an easier way of tracking Koalas in the wild who are part of the vaccine research program? What if, thereโs a faster way of tracking Kroombit Tinkerfrogs and Eastern Bristlebirds as part of our conservation programs, to stop these two species from extinction?
How You Can Help the Detector Dog Program
Help Moose Help Bristlebirds
Eastern Bristlebirds are in real trouble and Moose is on the front line finding their nests. Fund his fieldwork with a donation to the Bristlebird conservation program.
Help Us Grow the Pack
You can give Moose some buddies and help us expand this program. Fund a new detector dog’s training, care and fieldwork with a donation.
Where Will Your Donation Go?
$20
will pay for treats that will pay for Moose’s training
$50
will purchase Moose one month of tick and flea prevention
$80
will pay for one week of Moose’s food
$350
will purchase a GPS collar to help track dogs and collect data
$1,000
will fund weekly Koala searches for two months
$5,000
will contribute to the fit out of our planned detector dog facility
Make a Difference
Make a tax-deductible donation today and it will go a long way for Conservation. We are so grateful for any donation, big or small!
Become a Corporate Partner
Support this program through a Corporate Partnership to make a lasting impact. Email Katrina, our Fundraising, Sponsorship & Corporate Partnership Manager, to find out more. Alternatively, you can call her on (07) 5534 0863.
Detector Dogs in Action Elsewhere
A glimpse of what’s possible
Moose isn’t the only detector dog at work. Ash (pictured here) and Poa are detector dogs managed by Canines for Wildlife based in Bellingen NSW, and they’re doing an amazing job in supporting wildlife conservation across Australia. They’ve helped us by joining field trips to help us locate the elusive, threatened Kroombit Tinkerfrog.
Their work is a glimpse into what our own detector dog program could achieve for Australia’s threatened species in the future.
You can help us get there. Every donation, small or big, brings us closer to training more dogs like Moose.
Jingeri โ Hello
We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the greater Yugambeh language region, the Country on which Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Hospital are situated today. We recognise their continuing connections to the land, sky, waters (waterways), and wildlife. We thank them for caring for this Country and its ecosystems.
We celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and we pay our respect to Elders past and present.
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