The Otago Daily Times yesterday received a tip-off of several wallabies being spotted in a paddock of maize between Peebles and Georgetown.
Otago Regional Council biosecurity programmes project delivery specialist Gavin Udy confirmed the council is monitoring a wallaby incursion in the area, closer to Georgetown.
"We do have an active report/response under way," Mr Udy said.
The council had been notified on January 31 of a wallaby being seen near a maize paddock in the area.
The regional council immediately responded, mounting an operation to locate and destroy the animal on the same day.
"The wallaby was located but the operator was unfortunately unable to get a clear shot of the wallaby.
"ORC staff have since been working with the landowner to undertake a follow-up response and further effort will be made later this week to locate and destroy the wallaby — which is known to be still present at the site."
Mr Udy encouraged the public to report all sightings or sign of wallabies, dead or alive, at www.reportwallabies.nz
This would help the council identify areas with wallabies and enabled "immediate follow-up control to stop them spreading".
"If you see a wallaby, report it."
Wallaby sightings in the upper Waitaki Valley are not uncommon.
According to the council’s website the introduced marsupial weighing between 20kg (males) to 14kg (females) occupy about 450,000ha of land in South Canterbury, centred in the Hunter Hills.
But on the Waitaki Valley side a council map identifies multiple sightings, mainly in the upper Waitaki Valley, and concentrated in the St Mary’s Range above Kurow, and towards Omarama and the Lindis Pass.
However, there have been occasional sightings and wallabies killed as far south and east as Waitaki Bridge, Oamaru, the Kakanui Mountains and Shag Point, according to the council website.
