Abandoned puppy revealed to be endangered dingo

With his pointy ears and shiny coat, there's little wonder Wandi was -- at first -- mistaken for an abandoned puppy.

He was found in a backyard in Australia's high country. But after getting checked out, and a DNA test, its been revealed that Wandi is in fact an incredibly rare wild dog. 100% Australian alpine dingo.

And a very lucky little dingo at that. He was almost a bird of prey's lunch! According to Melbourne's Nine News it's thought that he was dropped in the backyard by an eagle.

Now he's being held at The Australian Dingo Foundation sanctuary. Volunteer Meg Browning says he's a vital new addition.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DINGO SANCTUARY VOLUNTEER MEG BROWNING SAYING (PART OVERLAID ON SHOT 5):

"We're fighting to get dingoes protected in the wild and to be able to have one fall from the sky that tests as a pure dingo is just, you know, miraculous. It's like come from the heavens really."

Alpine dingoes are one of three species of dingo in Australia -- and the only type classified as an endangered species.