It is keenly aware, however, of the potential for harm that might be realized if the wallaby population were to multiply. Waimea Falls Park has indicated it will abide by Walker's wishes and keep the wallaby penned. But compliance is not required. Despite growing concerns over the environmental problems caused by introduced species, the state has no legal barrier to erect against the scheme Lazell proposed. If wallabies were to become a pest species, their eradication would be made all the more difficult by their charm.
Most people find wallabies cute, appealing creatures.
The very idea that they would be deliberately exterminated would be a hard one to sell. Just consider, for a moment, the extreme difficulty the state, the federal government, and The Nature Conservancy are now experiencing with regard to their efforts to get rid of the far-homelier feral pigs in environmentally sensitive areas. The controversy has several dimensions. Apart from the debate on whether the pigs should be exterminated is the controversy over the use of the snare traps employed in their killing. Because of the pigs' thick necks, death does not come quickly to those caught in the snares.