Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust (BPCT) has an unusual request for locals and visitors out enjoying the peninsula this summer – if you see a goat, dob it in!  

Earlier this year, BPCT’s Pest Free Banks Peninsula programme achieved total eradication of feral goats on the true Peninsula - removing 4,246 goats from a 45,000-ha area.    

Eradicating feral goats from such a diverse landscape was enabled by over 300 private landowners, with funding funding and operational support provided by DOC, Christchurch City Council and Environment Canterbury. This mammoth effort was also recognised by the Ministry for Primary Industries as New Zealand’s largest feral goat eradication programme. 

“Our elimination programmes are all about empowering communities to take back control of their ‘backyard biodiversity’”, says project lead, Sarah Wilson. 

However, when it comes to feral goats, there’s no time to rest on our laurels.  

“Total eradication is a big call to make,” says Wilson. “The ongoing success of the programme now relies on community support. We’re asking anyone who spots a feral goal anywhere on the Peninsula to please let us know.” 

As well as relying on the community to alert them to possible sightings, PFBP has also engaged the regional council's might. Feral goats are now deemed a ‘site-specific pest’ in ECAN’s Regional Pest Management Plan. This recognises how important it is for landowners to manage domestic goat populations well, so they cannot escape and re-establish feral populations.  

PFBP wants to hear from anyone who spots a goat where they might not expect to see one. “It's also important for us to understand the rules around owning domestic goats, because like many of our pest animal and plant species, feral populations usually begin as garden and farm escapees.” 

If you spot a feral goat on the peninsula or Port Hills, you can dob it in here: Pest sighting report