Pest Detective is an online tool to help people in New Zealand identify the presence of vertebrate pest animals.
Pest animals are often nocturnal and hard to spot. They leave tell-tale clues that tell us they are in the area.
What do we mean by 'pest animal?'
The animals featured in Pest Detective have all been introduced to New Zealand either by accident or intentionally. They are regarded as pests because they threaten the health of our native ecosystems and/or primary production sector, though special management is required where people value a species for such things as hunting, agriculture or as pets > read more
Why are the Culprits not in alphabetical order?
The species on the culprits page are generally grouped with other species that have similar field sign. Grouping them together makes it easier to compare clues, especially the images in the Clues section. Each group of more closely related species (e.g. mustelids) are arranged by size from small to large. See more >
Clue corner
Ferrets are difficult to detect. They are usually nocturnal and solitary in their habits and leave few clues behind. They rarely leave footprints except on soft ground such as snow or mud but can be lured into tracking tunnels. Even then, their prints can be confused with stoat tracks > see more on ferret footprints
How to access in the field?
Pest Detective can be used on mobile devices – no special app is required.
Where internet coverage is likely to be doubtful, you can download and save or print chosen pages from Pest Detective as PDFs to take with you > read how
Culprit corner
Bennett's wallabies cause ecological damage by depleting the forest understorey and agricultural damage by competing with livestock for pasture as well damaging other crops. They occur in South Canterbury and are an Unwanted Organism in New Zealand – as are dama wallaby and other wallaby species. Report sightings to local regional councils. > see more
Junior Pest Detectives
Watch out!
If you see one these colourful characters in the wild, report it on this hotline number: 0800 80 99 66. They are only allowed in New Zealand as cage birds and we don’t want them to escape as they could become a bad pest. Can you guess what kind of bird it is? > Answer
Latest from 'On the case' pest detection news
Barking up the wrong tree?
3 November 2020
Bark damage is often a clearly visible animal pest sign but identifying the culprit is not always easy – as Roger Young found at his property on the outskirts of Christchurch.
After returning from holiday earlier this year, Roger was dismayed to see a lot of damage on some lowland ribbonwood (Plagianthus regius) trees in his restored wetland. He at first suspected possums because they had repeatedly stripped bark from gum trees elsewhere on his property and he had trapped a good many in that area. Normally, he would have been checking his property daily and would have noticed the damage before it became so extensive.