A dog has undergone a costly surgery to save his leg, which in turn will help conservationists preserve the population of one of New Zealand's rarest birds.
Neo the Whio, a German shorthaired pointer, is used in some of New Zealand's most crucial conservation work, helping his owner and trainer, Andrew Glasser, to locate endangered bird species across New Zealand.
One of 12 dogs in New Zealand primarily used to locate the blue duck, the iconic bird found on the New Zealand $10 bill, he plays an important role helping conservationists monitor the 2500 or so blue ducks left in the country. Neo also specialises in locating kiwis and petrels.
However, recently during routine exercise, the 9-year-old hound ruptured his cranial cruciate ligament and has been out of action for the last three weeks.
It was the first major accident for Neo after covering thousands of kilometres throughout his career across the New Zealand countryside - including 200km over six days through Fiordlands last summer.