OPOSSUMS.

Forest and Bird, Issue 9, 1 June 1925, Page 7

OPOSSUMS.

The society has what any unbiased citizen would consider incontrovertible evidence, and photographs, as to damage done by these animals to our birds and forests, and will publish this if any attempt is made to further spread this menace. For instance a member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union states: “Anyone can see the damage done to trees if he will look at the seedlings eaten down, and the barking and scratching of the trees—without doubt they have killed the kotukutuku and makomako trees in some districts—personally I know of one 20ft. high pohutukawa which one opossum played havoc with.” Mr. W. W. Smith of New Plymouth a naturalist who has spent a life time observing and studying our birds and forests writes:— “They speak of the opossum doing no harm to the native birds. Those men who write in this style can have had no experience of the habits of these animals, and have

no conception of the damage they cause alike to the native vegetation and the native birds. We need not be surprised at the opossum flourishing apace in New Zealand bush. Almost all the trees and shrubs are of a much more succulent and nutritious nature than is the vegetation of its native country—Australia. Should these animals be permitted to increase for commercial purposes the result will be the certain depletion alike of the native bush and the native birds. Let anyone interested in the welfare of both procure one or two opossums and keep them in captivity for a season. They will very soon convince the experimentalist that they are very partial to small birds' eggs. Let him introduce a blackbird’s or a thrush’s nest containing eggs, and observe the result. There have lately been many erroneous statements published on the harmlessness of opossums to our beautiful native bush and unique birds.”