Waikato Regional Council believes it is highly likely a human hand is involved in bringing a wallaby to a small town.
The council says it is working hard to stop the spread of wallabies, which had been pushing their way into the region from the Bay of Plenty. (File image) Photo: Department of Conservation
On 25 July, a landowner found the dama wallaby in Mōkau with a broken hind leg and a reasonably large joey in her pouch.
Senior biosecurity officer Dave Byers said they suspected a human helped bring it there because Mōkau was so far outside of the containment area where the council was working to stop the spread of wallabies.
Wallabies are classified as an "unwanted organism" under the Biosecurity Act, and people who have, hold, move or transport them without a permit can be fined up to $100,000 and/or sent to prison for up to five years.
They are considered to be a pest because they eat seedlings, grass and crops, which causes damages to forestry and causes losses for farming by competing for pasture with stock. They also target the same native plant species as deer.
Byers said the wallaby find was disappointing as the council was working hard to stop the wallabies which had been pushing their way into the region from the Bay of Plenty.
A dog surveillance team will search for any further presence of wallabies in the Mōkau area after scat and a footprint was also found last week.
"The footprint is fresh and has not been eroded by rain. It was found one week after the female was located so it's likely another wallaby is still there, Byers said.
The scat was being DNA tested for gender, and trail camera surveillance may also be undertaken on the pasture-bush margin, the council said.
"We've been talking to landowners, of course, but as wallabies are both shy and nocturnal, they are not seen very often, particularly when the numbers are low."
The council estimated one third of the North Island could be subjected to the impacts of wallabies in less than 50 years.
The work by Waikato Regional Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council is part of the national wallaby programme, Tipu Mātoro Wallaby-free Aotearoa, led by Biosecurity New Zealand.
The programme is a partnership that includes iwi, regional councils, the Department of Conservation, Forest & Bird, Federated Farmers, LINZ, farmers, and other landowners.