Kody wrote:The Australian possums are absolutely beautiful creatures and make wonderful but illegal pets. The Australian eucalyptus trees were imported to NZ as the timber was so good to use in the building industry. Unfortunately, the trees grew faster and better than the native species and caused lots of trouble. Some idiot later imported (smuggled?) our native possums into NZ as well. Why this was done I'm not sure. The possum numbers grew out of all proportion and then a disaster happened. The possums were found to be carrying TB which they picked up from somewhere in NZ. The TB then spread to the cattle of NZ and all hell broke out as you could imagine. Possums are now hunted and destroyed without mercy. I don't know if the body has to be burnt because of the TB or what happens to them. Perhaps Dez P. could fill you in with more info about them.
I have never seen one of our possums so stirred up as in the photo. I surmise it may have been highly provoked. My daughter raises and cares for orphaned and wounded Australian native animals so I will ask her what may have happened to stir the possum up so much.
kody
I gotta agree that the possum is the cutest furball on the planet. In Oz. In picture books. Not here or in my backyard. So he is fair game here to be destroyed. They were introduced to establish a fur industry early last century but the bum fell out of the market & without natural predators the population exploded. They chomp thru tonnes of native foliage, pasture, fruit. They've been observed raiding birds nests for the eggs & also eating chicks. They've even stolen leftover tucker from campers too lazy to tidy up before going to bed. Yes they do carry Bovine TB, and so do ferrets, weasels (not the parliamentary kind) stoats and feral cats. NZ has huge poisoning campaign against these pests with aerial spreading of 1080 toxin. So much for our clean green image! Most possums are trapped & the fur plucked off while the pest is warm and sold for about $114.00 Kg at the moment. The fur is mixed with Fine Merino wool & spun into luxuriously warm garments. Ladies love the scarves & sweaters. A possum pelt covered cushion in the camper is a treat I enjoy.
During March or so here the Joeys get kicked off the mothers backs, so there is some inevitable competition in establishing the pecking order in a new territory. I have observed this stroppy defiant behaviour from time to time thru my rifle scope & spotlight. Order gets established smartly.
I am advised the Oz possum does not travel far from his nest . Any truth in that Kody? I am aware the pests here can travel several kilometres in a nite foraging & not always returning to the same nest on consecutive days.
Did you know that it is almost a duty for every driver in this country to not actively avoid running over the possum should one be transfixed by the headlights of the car?