Australia Gears Up for the Great Koala Count, Using Drones, Droppings and Dogs. The Australian government announced that it would commit 2 million Australian dollars to fund an audit of the Koalas, and would use new methods to do so. Heat-seeking drones, acoustic surveys and detector dogs will be deployed. Individuals will don hiking boots and head out into the bush for some koala spotting. Many will also look for koala droppings.