More introduced pests in New Zealand

What other animals could become introduced pests in New Zealand? Here https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/animal-pests/ is the list of current introduced pests.

Could yaks become established in mountain areas of the South Island? They could be introduced for farming and become feral.

What about alpacas and llamas? There are plenty of domestic ones in New Zealand OTL.

The fox could be introduced to New Zealand, like neighbouring Australia. There was a plan to introduce them OTL, but they were never introduced because of the threats they posed to sheep farming.

Could the Fiordland moose survive?

Can reindeer become established in the NZ Subantarctic Islands, like they have in South Georgia and Kerguelen OTL?

Could beavers be introduced to New Zealand, like they have in South America?
 
The raccoon seems like a very good candidate for this, it's been introduced in Germany, the Caucuses, and Japan, the last because of a popular anime series. They're cute looking but grow up ornery and smart, so just right for an exotic pet to escape or be released and form a breeding population.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon#Distribution_outside_North_America

That just gave me another idea: raccoon dogs, they were introduced from Asia to Europe for fur and have since become abundant. A similar thing could occur in New Zealand.
 
How about less introduced pests.

I frequently try to imagine a New Zealand where I get to hear bellbirds in the morning instead of sparrows and starlings. How on earth is 'more pests' desirible?
 
It isn't, this website is about alternate history and not a more desirable history.

You framed it as a positive. I'm a conservationist and environmentalist before any other political affiliation - you can imagine how your OP looked to me. Also, don't be snarky if you intend on having a discussion.

Anyway, there possibly still are moose in the South Island. I wouldn't call it a 'Fiordland moose' because that implies a subspecific taxonomy, which never existed for the moose in New Zealand - it's just your standard Eurasian elk.

As for other introduced pests, the only question is, why would people introduce them? Deer (including the moose), wild boar, chamois, rabbits, hares, and wallabies were introduced for sport-hunting. European birds (sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, thrushes, chaffinches, goldfinches, etc.) were introduced to make our cities more desirible to European settlers (it's likely this is also why the mallard duck was introduced, but personally I still don't understand that one, since our endemic grey duck was nigh indistinguishable aside from being less brown in colour), and brush-tailed possums were introduced for the fur trade and wound up booming here.

Others (rats, Australians spiders such as the black widow or Avondale) were introduced accidentally (or apathetically, which is more accurate).

So looking at some examples you've provided: Why would European settlers need to bring in yak, or camelids from South America? What purpose would they serve as feral animals? As domesticates, sure, same as the sheep and cattle that were brought over for farming. Alpacas and llamas already thrive on NZ farms for their wool, but yak I think are subject to tighter rules (Orana Wildlife Park here in Christchurch has them, but they're the only ones in the country that I know of).

Likewise, the sub-Antarctic islands are not especially heavily settled. Reindeer would be useless down there.

As I said, there are only a handful of reasons animals are introduced to a foreign environment. Some remain a mystery (like why there are wild rooks in the Fiordland) but others are obvious, and to really speculate on what other species might be introduced, one must first decide which species would be useful to early settlers.
 
You framed it as a positive. I'm a conservationist and environmentalist before any other political affiliation - you can imagine how your OP looked to me. Also, don't be snarky if you intend on having a discussion.

Anyway, there possibly still are moose in the South Island. I wouldn't call it a 'Fiordland moose' because that implies a subspecific taxonomy, which never existed for the moose in New Zealand - it's just your standard Eurasian elk.

As for other introduced pests, the only question is, why would people introduce them? Deer (including the moose), wild boar, chamois, rabbits, hares, and wallabies were introduced for sport-hunting. European birds (sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, thrushes, chaffinches, goldfinches, etc.) were introduced to make our cities more desirible to European settlers (it's likely this is also why the mallard duck was introduced, but personally I still don't understand that one, since our endemic grey duck was nigh indistinguishable aside from being less brown in colour), and brush-tailed possums were introduced for the fur trade and wound up booming here.

Others (rats, Australians spiders such as the black widow or Avondale) were introduced accidentally (or apathetically, which is more accurate).

So looking at some examples you've provided: Why would European settlers need to bring in yak, or camelids from South America? What purpose would they serve as feral animals? As domesticates, sure, same as the sheep and cattle that were brought over for farming. Alpacas and llamas already thrive on NZ farms for their wool, but yak I think are subject to tighter rules (Orana Wildlife Park here in Christchurch has them, but they're the only ones in the country that I know of).

Likewise, the sub-Antarctic islands are not especially heavily settled. Reindeer would be useless down there.

As I said, there are only a handful of reasons animals are introduced to a foreign environment. Some remain a mystery (like why there are wild rooks in the Fiordland) but others are obvious, and to really speculate on what other species might be introduced, one must first decide which species would be useful to early settlers.
I did not intend to frame this as a positive, nor did I intend to be taken as snarky.

The yak? That was just a random idea I had, they could be introduced for farming in Alpine areas and escape. They could also escape from a zoo or collector.

As for the camelids? Like you said, llamas and alpacas thrive in New Zealand, they could easily escape in a remote area and establish a feral population.

The reindeer? Introduced for the same reasons they were in Kerguelen and South Georgia, food for whalers and sealers.
 
I find the other direction more interesting... I have read that Pohutukawa are considered invasive (and quite a problem) in parts of California. Could other native NZ species spread off out from Aotearoa and cause mayhem? Surely I’m not the only person who thought of training a pair of Kea pick-pockets and making a fortune off Lake Tahoe or Swiss alpine tourists?
 
I find the other direction more interesting... I have read that Pohutukawa are considered invasive (and quite a problem) in parts of California. Could other native NZ species spread off out from Aotearoa and cause mayhem? Surely I’m not the only person who thought of training a pair of Kea pick-pockets and making a fortune off Lake Tahoe or Swiss alpine tourists?
Pūkeko might be able to become well established in lots of places, but I don't know why they would be introduced anywhere.
 
Pūkeko might be able to become well established in lots of places, but I don't know why they would be introduced anywhere.

Pukeko would be outcompeted by existing populations of swamp hens.

If we're looking at animals brought from New Zealand to other countries, we're better looking at invertebrates (and no, not the weta punga).
 
Pukeko would be outcompeted by existing populations of swamp hens
Probably, but they might be able to establish themselves on places where the existing rails became extinct, such as Wake Island.

Edit: the weka might actually be a better replacement for the Wake Island rail.
 
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Anything and everything that thrives in a temperate/subarctic environment, limited only by the ability to capture and transport enough specimens of breeding age, which is quite a problem if you want to establish grizzly bears or Siberian tigers.

Likewise, the sub-Antarctic islands are not especially heavily settled. Reindeer would be useless down there.

Not if you're an entrepreneur with a really out there idea and too much money to spend and don't know your reindeer farm idea has about a 1% chance of a success (if that).

However, reindeer could thrive in many places on South Island (easier logistics), so you could have a successful reindeer farm and have some people try and start their own, fail, and end up with a population of feral reindeer.
 
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