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. "We have since learnt that the wallaby has been handed over to a wildlife park in South Canterbury which accepts orphaned animals." 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. Anyone who saw a wallaby in the Southland region was advised to call either Environment Southland or the SPCA.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 14, 2016 00:21 UTC