Terminator Pest Control, is equipped to carry out possum control in urban areas of Auckland, and the methods we use, are baiting and kill traps.DOC, estimate that possums eat around 20 tonnes of foliage every night in New Zealand. Damage to native bush is cause for serious alarm. There is also a serious risk of disease to Dairy and Deer Farmers livestock, from possums carrying Bovine Tuberculosis. The value of economic loss, and for damage and control of possums is in the tens of millions.

The possum is one of New Zealands greatest threats to our natural environment.

The common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula, was first introduced to New Zealand from Australia in 1837 to establish a fur trade. This release was unsuccessful and a second release 20 years later at the same Southland location was required for them to establish.

The possum has a thick, bushy tail, thick body fur, a pointed snout and large, pointed ears. There are two colour forms of the species – grey and black, with many variations in appearance. Possums can walk, jump and bound and its prehensile tail helps it move around tree branches.

The size and weight of possums varies across New Zealand. Typically, adult possums are 65 to 95 cm long and weigh 1.5 to 5 kg.Possums are nocturnal and can live anywhere where there is shelter and a varied food supply. They are now widespread across most of New Zealand. The main habitat is forest, However, Urban Auckland, has many large trees, and possums are evident in large numbers.

The Threat

Possums have a significant impact on many of New Zealand’s natural ecosystems. They occur in high numbers and their own predators, such as feral cats, are no match for a possum.

Leaves form the main part of their diet, but possums are opportunistic omnivores. They eat buds, flowers, fruit/berries and nectar, which means they compete with native birds and reptiles for food sources that are available. The growth and life-cycle of  trees or plants are significantly affected when possums forage on them. Possums live in hollows in tree trunks and are nocturnal. Their mating call late at night and in the wee smalls of morning terrify some people. This action is called vocalising.

In the early 1990s, possums were filmed eating the eggs and chicks of kōkako and this evidence changed many people’s views of their threat to wildlife. They eat invertebrates, including weta, and are significant predators of New Zealand land snails. Researchers using nest-cameras have witnessed possums & ferrets & stoats inside defenseless kea nests, eating the inhabitants.