A Bennett’s wallaby (archive image).
Photo: 123rf

No wallabies were spotted during an extensive search near Te Anau following concerns they may have spread to Southland.

Environment Southland launched an investigation after receiving a report of a wallaby in mid-September – its third report near Te Anau this year.

Wallabies eat native grass, shrubs and trees, can damage pastures and fences, exacerbate erosion and damage young tree seedlings.

Possible wallaby droppings were found during the initial search, but sample results were inconclusive.

Ali Meade, Environment Southland’s biosecurity and biodiversity operations manager, said this result was likely due to the age of the sample and weather conditions before it was collected.

Specialists, detector dogs, tracking cameras and thermal camera drones were then used in the area from the Te Anau store, along the lake foreshore to the Waiau River and on to Supply Bay Road.

“No indication of the presence of a wallaby has been found at this stage,” Meade said.

“Undertaking such extensive research allows us to reassure the public that it is very unlikely that a wallaby population has become established in the area.”

The search would end unless further credible reports were received.

She thanked the public for remaining vigilant about the threat and reporting it.

“It would be devastating for a population of wallabies to become established in the area.”

All sightings or signs of wallabies must be reported online (www.reportwallabies.nz here).

There have been 20 reports of wallabies in Southland since 2015, including a wallaby found in Invercargill in 2016.

Under the Biosecurity Act, it is illegal to move, breed, sell or release wallabies without a license, subject to penalties of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to go up to $100,000.

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