Photo: Supplied/ Local Democracy Reporting

Dozens of wallabies pictured on a Rotorua paddock in 2022.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council killed or contained more than 2000 wallabies as part of its pest control programme in 2024/25.

Wallabies were introduced to New Zealand from Australia in the late 1800s for hunting, private zoos and for the value of their skin.

Without a natural predator, they have adapted to New Zealand conditions and it is now estimated over 1 million live in our nation's wild.

Cute and cuddly they may be, but they represent a significant threat to New Zealand's biodiversity and economy.

"Wallabies eat everything within their reach in our native bush, including the seedlings that make up future forests

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