A live wallaby found in an Invercargill backyard has been handed over to a wildlife park in South Canterbury, but Environment Southland biosecurity manager Richard Bowman is concerned people may not understand the risks the pests pose to the region.
Mr Bowman said a North Invercargill resident was ''shocked'' when she discovered a marsupial in her neighbour's property that was disturbing her dog, and called the SPCA.
The neighbour had not previously been aware of the "unexpected visitor" an d didn't know where it had come from.
"The wallaby was young and reasonably tame, so it is possible somebody had been keeping it as a pet and it had escaped.
"We have since learnt that the wallaby has been handed over to a wildlife park in South Canterbury which accepts orphaned animals."
Mr Bowman said wallabies were considered pests under Southland's Regional Pest Management Strategy - nobody can possess or sell a wallaby within the region without a permit.
It was also against the rules to transport a wallaby in to or within the region and anybody who saw one must report it to Environment Southland.
While wild wallabies had not yet been identified in Southland, they were causing ''significant problems'' in South Canterbury, he said.
They damaged native forests and competed with cattle and sheep for pasture and were capable of reaching ''very high population numbers''.
They could potentially establish in parts of Southland which would have a "significant economic and environmental impact".
"We know people might think they are cute and in some cases, hunters may have shot wallabies further north and discovered a joey in a pouch, which they have then brought home to keep as a pet, without realising the implications,” Mr Bowman said.
SPCA Southland chairwoman Rachel Hucklebridge saidthe wallaby was one of the more unusual calls they had received and while it was very cute, she was very aware of their pest status in Southland.
Anyone who saw a wallaby in the Southland region was advised to call either Environment Southland or the SPCA.
