DESPITE an extensive search across nearly 4000 hectares in the Mōkau area, no further sightings of wallabies have been found. PHOTO FILE
EXTENSIVE coverage using dogs by Waikato Regional Council has failed to find any further wallabies in Mōkau region. A landowner’s find of a female wallaby with a broken hind leg and a joey in her pouch sparked a two-month operation to understand the extent of the find, although it was highly likely the wallaby got there with human assistance. (King Country News, August 18). Senior Biosecurity Officer Dave Byers, who leads the Waikato Regional Council’s wallaby control programme, said while Mōkau is far away from where wallabies are currently found, the council is responsible for investigating all reports of wallabies in its region and that comes at a cost. Waikato Regional Council, in partnership with Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Department of Conservation, Land Information NZ and mana whenua, is working to stop wallabies from spreading as part of the Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Eradication Programme led by Biosecurity New Zealand. The long-term aim is to eradicate all wallabies from New Zealand. “We ended up spending about $40,000 and shifting resources to verify that there are no wallaby populations in the Mōkau area just because someone thought it would be a good idea to relocate one,” he said. “That is time and money that could be better spent in controlling wallabies where they actually are. “We had surveillance dogs cover an area of nearly 4000 hectares and they walked a total of 453 kilometres in 11 days. “From that, we got just one weak indication from a dog in the first couple of days. “Trail cameras were set up for about six weeks within 200 hectares or so where the wallaby was found and where we had the indication from the dog, but they came up with nothing.” The council will continue to undertake surveillance periodically in the Mōkau area just to be sure there are no signs of wallaby. Wallabies are classified as an unwanted organism under the Biosecurity Act. It is illegal to have, hold, move or transport wallabies in New Zealand without a specific permit. Those who do can face significant penalties. Individuals can be fined up to $100,000 and/or sent to prison for up to five years. Wallabies have been expanding their range and, if left unchecked, it has been conservatively estimated that one-third of the North Island could be subjected to the impacts of wallabies in less than 50 years.
