mostly_gas
Super Member
Good afternoon all. Today's high was 54F sunny and breezy, tomorrow 55F then a 15F cool down. Mid-week on back to below normal temps, need to split more wood.
Hand plucked possum fur is being bought at $125 per kg (2.2lb). The fur is said to be hollow and when mixed with Merino wool it is knitted into gloves, mittens, socks and scarves.
They are very warm and not cheap.
I did know of one small cottage industry venture that was canning them and selling it as dog food.
I guess. :laughing:
Not many opossums around here, a few. Raccoons are around but not in great numbers. Plenty of skunks. We have more porcupines than opossums.
When my pond was dug, the excavator guy stacked up a bunch of junky trees in a tall pile. The porcupines took up residence in that pile. Now, a lot of the trees growing around that pile have had their bark stripped off by the porcupines. They can kill a small-average size tree in about one year. Oh well, it gives the pileated woodpeckers somewhere to work. :laughing:
Long-term, it's good for wildlife. After the woodpeckers make some cavities, birds and flying squirrels nest in them.
I still find it ironic that you have a non native marsupial problem in NZ.![]()
There were never any marsupials in NZ until the introduction of the possum.
But it's the same with the Mongoose introduced to Hawaii in 1883 to control rats and snakes or the cane toad into Australia in order to control the Cane and the Frenchi beetles. Back in those days there was not too much thought given to what could happen in the future.
We also have introduced the rabbit, goat, deer and wallaby which are in the wild, not in great numbers, but are controlled to a degree (well, not so much the rabbits)![]()
Nobody has 'wild' animals (lion tiger, bear) as pets which could escape and we have NO snakes.