Awareness campaign intensifies war on wallabies

MORE than a million wallabies are now thought to be in New Zealand and they are causing millions of dollars a year in damage, says Biosecurity NZ.

The growing population has led to the launch of new national awareness campaign, Tipu Mātoro: Wallaby-free Aotearoa.

It aims to highlight the extensive damage caused by the pests and encourage the public to report wallaby sightings.

“Wallabies silently prey on the futures of our forests and farms,” Biosecurity NZ’s director of response, John Walsh, said.

Biosecurity NZ is working with regional councils, local iwi, farmers and landowners to manage and reduce populations.

“Population estimates set wallabies at more than one million, but as they are nocturnal and excellent at hiding, public reports are one of the best ways we can manage the spread,” Walsh said.

With no natural predators, two introduced species in particular are causing millions in damage each year – the dama wallaby in the Bay of Plenty/ Waikato, and Bennett’s wallaby in South Canterbury and North Otago

“If left unchecked, by 2025 wallabies would cost New Zealanders around $84 million a year in damage, and over the next 50 years they could spread through a third of the country,” Walsh said.

Wallabies graze on bush undergrowth, quickly decimating new shoot growth and destroying native species’ habitats and food sources.

“And their impacts are felt beyond our native bush. They compete with livestock for food, damage fences, foul up pastures preventing it from being a food source, eat planted forest seedlings and contribute to erosion and poor water quality.”

Walsh said the campaign focuses first on stopping the spread of wallabies from known areas. Since it began there had been several sightings outside of containment areas. All reported sightings are followed up by the relevant regional council, including installing trail cameras and using specially trained detector dogs to find any scat (poo).

“By targeting populations outside these containment zones and following up on reported wallaby sightings, the programme can prevent new populations establishing elsewhere in Aotearoa.”

In the last year there have been confirmed sightings in Kaitoke, north of Wellington, and Mokau on the west coast of the North Island.

The campaign costs about $38,000 and is largely digital, complimenting existing regional council reporting efforts like the ‘Have you seen a wallaby’ signs in Otago, Canterbury, Rotorua and Waikato.

The programme is also undertaking the significant research required to understand wallaby behaviour in a New Zealand context, supporting effective containment and control.

“If you spot a wallaby, please do your bit and report it at www. reportwallabies.nz,” Walsh said.