Strewth mate: Traces of kangaroo found in Napier waterway

The Napier City Council leaped at the chance to release a tongue-in-cheek photo after the testing.

Forget about magpies.

Hawke’s Bay could become synonymous with another Australian animal if a surprising discovery in Napier is anything to go by.

Routine tests of the ponds and waterways around Anderson Park have come back positive for kangaroo.

While the discovery has led many on social media to jump to conclusions, there’s a sensible explanation.

“Don’t be too concerned about running into this species while at the park,” A Napier City Council post read. “The kangaroo DNA identified most likely comes from dog food.”

It said the council’s Environmental Solutions team monitors the health and composition of Napier’s waterways and recent DNA testing in the ponds and waterways of Anderson Park came back positive for kangaroo.

The council said testing aimed to understand if invasive species lived in the park, such as exotic turtles called terrapins.

“It’s also a great way to take stock of the large number of bird species including swans, geese and different types of duck, along with fish and eel species.

“The results of the DNA tests showed there is a lot of marine and bird life in the mix.”