Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2020 and has been updated. (CNN) — Ask almost any Australian about a drop bear, and they’ll likely recount a close encounter with this carnivorous ...

The earth is charred and the acrid smell of toxic smoke still hangs in the air of the Australian eucalyptus forest. Somewhere between the skeletal trunks, a dog stops, lowers his nose and lies down at ...