Cold temperatures are bringing out the wallaby hunters and their high-tech gear in the fight to eradicate the pest.
Otago Regional Council environmental implementation acting manager Libby Caldwell said a drone had been flying in the Livingstone Forest area after dark in conjunction with dogs and their handlers on the ground recently.
Winter was the best time to use aerial methods to hunt these Australian imports; which have no natural predators in New Zealand, she said.
"Wallabies are in Otago now and we need to act fast to stop the spread of this pest."
Winter conditions limited on-foot access to areas of the Otago high country but this was the time of year when helicopters and drones equipped with thermal cameras could be best utilised, she said.
Wallabies were causing serious damage to the environment, depleting forest understories and preventing native forest regeneration, competing with livestock for food, fouling pasture, and damaging agricultural crops and fences, Mrs Caldwell said.
"It’s a national pest problem."
The council was part of the Ministry for Primary Industries’ national wallaby eradication programme, working in partnership with others in taking a co-ordinated and strategic approach to eliminating wallabies from New Zealand.
In terms of the programme, Otago was the closest to achieving eradication in the short to medium term "but success relies on the public reporting sightings".
"The public are a vital part in our eradication programme, by reporting sightings.
"If we don’t act to eradicate the wallaby population, we face a very real threat to the iconic landscapes that we love here in Otago."
When people report a wallaby sighting to the council, or via www.reportwallabies.nz, a team would be dispatched to the area within 24 hours, Mrs Caldwell says.
