VIEW OF OPOSSUM

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30094, 30 March 1963, Page 7

VIEW OF OPOSSUM

"The opossum is not and will never become an important grassland pest,” says Dr. W. E. Howard, an American who is spending a year in New Zealand to assist government departments in planning for improved control of animals that are noxious to certain protection forests. “They thrive best at the edge of favourable bush where clover or other broadleaf herbaceous plants are also available.

“Of course opossums can be troublesome and there are many instances where local or regional control is required. They can be a serious nuisance to home owners and to power lines. Sometimes a few individuals make inroads into swedes or turnips, if they are not controlled. Willows planted to prevent erosion in river catchments are seriously damaged in certain areas, although cattle also are often a problem here. Opossums are locally destructive to young trees in some exotic forests and sometimes they need controlling along the edge of clover fields adjacent

to bush, in orchards, in gardens and in various types of other crops. “In most, but not all, of the indigenous forests that are likely to be affected by opossums the animal has already done most of his damage. In these forests, especially where deer and other ground-browsing animals have aided opossum activities by opening up the forest floor, they have already destroyed the bulk of those plants which they find highly palatable.

“As long as the regeneration of other less palatable plant species has been adequate and ungulates do not open up additional areas, such forests will not support enough opossums to cause forest deterioration. Opossums and the remaining types of plants will probably be able to exist together. Opossum control therefore is not required in many indigenous forests.

“There is no justification for trying to control the last opossum with present control methods. It is not even worth trying.’’