New Zealanders are urged to be on the lookout after the first-ever wallaby in the Manawatū-Whanganui region was discovered.
The marsupial mammals are a pest that is destructive to farmland, crops and New Zealand's native forests - with warnings they could cover one-third of the country in the next 50 years.
On Sunday, a dead wallaby was discovered on Ongarue Waimiha Road in the Ruapehu District.
"We were alerted after a report was lodged via Biosecurity New Zealand’s wallaby reporting website. The wallaby, which was roadkill, was picked up on Monday from the place it was killed," Horizons' environmental manager Craig Davey said in a statement.
"This is the first wallaby, dead or alive, recovered in the Horizons Region. The person who reported the wallaby sighting did the right thing, and we thank them for doing so."
Horizons is using various surveillance techniques, including trained wallaby detector dogs, to see if there is an established wallaby population near where the dead wallaby was found, but Davey said the community is key to preventing wallabies from establishing a foothold in the region.
"As wallabies are nocturnal, we want anyone travelling at night in the area where the wallaby was found to report any sightings," he said.
"People should look out for any wallaby signs, including droppings and footprints. The most common wallaby in the North Island, the dama wallaby, stands up to 50cm tall and weighs 4kg to 7kg. Their droppings are about 20mm long and tend to be pear-shaped, although there can be variability."
Five species of wallabies were introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand from Australia in the 1800s. They were brought here mainly for hunting and private zoos, but as they do not have natural predators in New Zealand, they have adapted well.
Without action, it is estimated pest wallabies could inhabit up to one-third of Aotearoa New Zealand within 50 years.
Davey said wallabies are a significant introduced pest, threatening our environment, biodiversity and economy.
"They are browsers, preferring to eat young plants and seedlings. Their browsing removes forest understory, which impacts regeneration, native habitats and food sources. Their competition for food sources impacts native wildlife, including native birds," he said.
Wallabies also compete with livestock such as sheep and cattle for food. It is estimated three Bennett's wallabies will eat as much as one adult sheep a day.
Biosecurity New Zealand's Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Eradication Programme is working alongside Horizons in this wallaby sighting investigation providing operational and technical advice.
Any sightings or signs of wallabies anywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand should be reported to Biosecurity New Zealand. This can be done online at www.reportwallabies.nz.
