A Possum Struggle - why Possum?
The Australian Brushtailed Possum was introduced into New Zealand over 100 years ago in an attempt to start a fur trade. Within New Zealand's plentiful fauna and mild climate the possum thrived and by 1980 the population had grown to over 60 million and was out of control. New Zealand's ecosystem is struggling, the possum are destroying native fauna which is having a ripple effect causing destruction to the native bird population. Since the 1990s the NZ government has been working to control possum populations with a spray chemical named 1080 (ugghh) and through bounty hunters. At Pearly's we used fur brought in by bounty hunters helping to reduce the cost of the effort.
Pearly's is helping to recover New Zealand's ecosystem by providing a commercial avenue for the work of possum population control.