No wallabies have been found in the Te Anau area despite an extensive search by Environment Southland using dogs, trail cameras and thermal camera drones.

South Island wallabies are found in the Waimate area of South Canterbury. They are an introduced pest which can seriously impact the environment, biodiversity, and economy.

The ES investigation was prompted after a reported wallaby sighting by a member of the public near Te Anau's control gates in report in mid-September.

This followed two earlier reports of wallaby near Te Anau, and three reports on the Te Anau - Mossburn highway since 2022, which all turned out to be negative.

An initial investigation of the latest sighting identified possible wallaby scat and a detector dog indicated the possible presence of an animal.

Environment Southland biosecurity and biodiversity operations manager Ali Meade said the scat was sent away for DNA sampling and the results have come back inconclusive, likely due to the age of the sample and the weather prior to the period it had been collected.

The next stage of the investigation involved specialists working with trained wallaby scat and indicator dogs, trail cameras and thermal camera drones, working from the Te Anau township, along the Lake Te Anau foreshore to the Waiau River and down to Supply Bay Road.

“No indications of a wallaby presence were found during this stage."

"Undertaking such a comprehensive search allows us to reassure the public that it is highly unlikely that a wallaby population has established in the area,” Meade said.

“We appreciate the support the public has shown to keeping Te Anau wallaby-free.”

The search will now be closed off unless further credible reports are received, she said.

Wallabies are a pest because they can cause significant economic and environmental impacts as they eat grass, native shrubs and trees. They can damage pasture and fences, add to erosion issues and damage young tree seedlings.

“We really want to thank the public for being alert about this threat and reporting. It would be devastating for a population of wallabies to establish in the region," Meade said.

“We’d also like to thank the landowners who allowed us to search their properties and ask that they continue to be our eyes on the ground so we can respond rapidly to any incursion.”

The Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Eradication Programme is working nationally to contain wallabies to the known core population areas, remove wallabies found outside them and over time to reduce wallaby numbers and the sizes of the areas they populate.

CLICK HERE to report all sightings or signs of wallabies.