Search underway after wallaby found in Horizons Region

Horizons Regional Council is asking for people to be on the lookout after the discovery of a wallaby in the Horizons Region.

Horizons’ environmental manager Craig Davey says a dead wallaby was found on Ongarue Waimiha Road in the Ruapehu District on Sunday 11 June.
 
“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,” Mr Davey says.
 
“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.”
 
Mr Davey says 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.
 
“The community is key to preventing wallabies establishing a foothold in the Horizons Region. As wallabies are nocturnal, we want anyone travelling at night in the area where the wallaby was found to report any sightings.
 
“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. More information is available online at www.mpi.govt.nz/wallabies.”
 
Mr Davey says 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.
 
“They also compete with sheep, cattle and other livestock for food – it is estimated three Bennett’s wallabies will eat as much in a day as one adult sheep – and damage crops, young trees and fences, as well as contributing to erosion and poorer water quality.”
 
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.

Image: A live dama wallaby.