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Animal pests
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There are a range of pest animals included in our pest plan but most of these only have pest status in our site-led programmes in Dunedin.
If you think you have pests hanging around your land, the below pages help you identify the presence of a range of pest animals.
Bennett's wallaby
Bennett’s wallaby have a greyish-brown upper body, pale grey chest and belly, and reddish-brown colour on the shoulders. They're up to 80cm high with a tail length around 62cm. Management: Eradication & Site-led programme
Feral cat
Feral cats can be similar to domestic cats in both size and colour, but tend to be solitary and territorial compared to domestic strays that tend to form colonies. Management: Site-led programme
Feral deer
Feral deer can vary in size and colour, ranging from small fallow does to large wapiti stags. While valued by hunters, they damage native habitats by eating seedlings and saplings, reducing food and shelter for native species. Management: Site-led programme
Feral goat
Feral goats resemble domestic goats in size and appearance—short hair, pointed horns and beards, in white, black, brown, or mixed colours—but they form wild groups and avoid crossing large water bodies. They trample and overgraze native forest and scrub in sensitive areas, preventing regeneration and altering habitats.
Feral pig
Feral pigs are large, dark-coloured animals with strong snouts and tusks. They cause major damage by digging up the ground, eating native plants and animals, and disturbing habitats for birds like kiwi.
Ferrets
Feral ferrets are small, agile predators with dark upper fur and a creamy undercoat, and a distinctive black mask. They’re expert climbers and raid nests, eating eggs and chicks, causing big losses for native bird life. They also spread cattle diseases like bovine tuberculosis.
Hedgehog
Feral hedgehogs are small, spiky mammals active at night. They eat insects, lizards, and ground‑nesting bird eggs, harming native biodiversity in protected Otago sites.
Possum
Feral possums have grey-brown fur, bushy tails, pointed snouts, and weigh up to ~6 kg. They eat native plants, invertebrates, bird eggs, and young birds, threaten plantations and farmland, and spread bovine tuberculosis.
Rabbits
Feral rabbits in Otago are fast-breeding, burrowing pests that damage native vegetation, crops, and soil structure.
Rats
Feral rats are small mammals, usually dark brown or black, that thrive in suburbs, farmland, and wild areas. They dig and spread seeds, eat insects and bird eggs, and damage native plant life—especially in sensitive ecosystems. Local traps are the primary control method in defined high-biodiversity zones.
Rooks
Rooks are large, glossy black birds with pale beaks and loud “kaah” calls. They often gather in flocks, fly up to 20 km daily, and damage farmland by eating grain and seeds. There are fewer than 40 left in Otago, and the council is working to eliminate them. Report this!
Stoats
Stoats are small, fast predators about 20–30 cm long, with brown fur and a long tail tipped in black. They climb well and hunt birds, eggs, lizards, insects, even mice. In Otago’s sensitive reserves, their presence harms native wildlife, particularly ground-nesting species.
Weasels
Feral weasels are tiny, slender predators with brown coats and creamy undersides, lacking the black-tipped tails of stoats. They hunt primarily small rodents, but also birds, lizards, and insects, and can thrive in gardens, farms, and native bush. Even in low numbers, they pose a serious threat to local wildlife in Otago’s sensitive reserves.
