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The Pernicious Possum
By Glynis Poad
New Zealand could well be described as "God's gift to mankind". It has an equable, temperate climate, stunningly beautiful and diverse scenery, and no dangerous native pests or animals.
To this island paradise the first settlers, the Maori people, brought sweet potatoes and rats. For nearly a thousand years the land was sparsely populated and the lush native forest flourished with no enemies to threaten its existence.
Then, with the great push to explore the world, New Zealand was discovered by the famous sailors, Tasman and Cook. Colonization by the British followed and to ensure the new settlers had game for sport and food; deer, goats, pigs and rabbits were imported and released. In order to establish a fur industry, in 1837 from Australia, came a cuddly, little furry creature, the size of a large domestic cat - the brush tailed possum. The possum is high on cuteness, and equally high in nuisance. At 70 million and going strong, this nocturnal marsupial has eaten its way to the role of public enemy number one destroying 22,000 tons of vegetation per night. . That is over seven million tons a year!
The damage to native forests can be seen all too clearly in many areas. Possums ignore old leaves and select the best new growth. In some areas they have eaten whole canopies of rata, pohutukawa, totara, titoki, kowhai and kohekohe. Possums compete with native birds for habitat and for food such as insects and berries. They also disturb nesting birds, eat their eggs and chicks and sometimes even eat native land snails which are now very rare.
Millions of dollars are being spent trying to get rid of possums in order to protect the New Zealand environment from their destruction. Conservationists, land-owners, government departments, regional councils, farmers and businesses have all been towards a solution.
Since the discovery four to five years ago of a successful method of blending of wool and possum fur, the fiber has become very popular both in New Zealand and overseas, particularly in USA and Canada.
The addition of possum fur to wool increases the warmth factor by about 25% as the fur has a hollow core that traps air inside and provides better insulation. The only two other animals that are known to have fiber with a hollow core are the polar bear and the musk ox. Initially the fur was blended with fine Romney or Corriedale, but it was later found that Merino at about 18- 22 microns was more suitable as the finer fibers tended to hold the fur better and reduce the possibility of shedding. The fiber may be seen as similar to cashmere.
Due to the difficulty of getting the possums out of the bush and the hard work of plucking the small amount from each possum, the fur is expensive relative to other fibers such as wool, mohair or alpaca. Blending it in a 25% mix with wool which makes it affordable and broadens its use in the exotic fiber industry.
copyright Wild Fibers Magazine, 2004. May not be reprinted without permission.
Contact: Linda Cortright, Editor Wild Fibers Magazine
P.O. Box 1752, Rockland, ME 04841 207-594-9455
By Glynis Poad
New Zealand could well be described as "God's gift to mankind". It has an equable, temperate climate, stunningly beautiful and diverse scenery, and no dangerous native pests or animals.
To this island paradise the first settlers, the Maori people, brought sweet potatoes and rats. For nearly a thousand years the land was sparsely populated and the lush native forest flourished with no enemies to threaten its existence.
Then, with the great push to explore the world, New Zealand was discovered by the famous sailors, Tasman and Cook. Colonization by the British followed and to ensure the new settlers had game for sport and food; deer, goats, pigs and rabbits were imported and released. In order to establish a fur industry, in 1837 from Australia, came a cuddly, little furry creature, the size of a large domestic cat - the brush tailed possum. The possum is high on cuteness, and equally high in nuisance. At 70 million and going strong, this nocturnal marsupial has eaten its way to the role of public enemy number one destroying 22,000 tons of vegetation per night. . That is over seven million tons a year!
The damage to native forests can be seen all too clearly in many areas. Possums ignore old leaves and select the best new growth. In some areas they have eaten whole canopies of rata, pohutukawa, totara, titoki, kowhai and kohekohe. Possums compete with native birds for habitat and for food such as insects and berries. They also disturb nesting birds, eat their eggs and chicks and sometimes even eat native land snails which are now very rare.
Millions of dollars are being spent trying to get rid of possums in order to protect the New Zealand environment from their destruction. Conservationists, land-owners, government departments, regional councils, farmers and businesses have all been towards a solution.
Since the discovery four to five years ago of a successful method of blending of wool and possum fur, the fiber has become very popular both in New Zealand and overseas, particularly in USA and Canada.
The addition of possum fur to wool increases the warmth factor by about 25% as the fur has a hollow core that traps air inside and provides better insulation. The only two other animals that are known to have fiber with a hollow core are the polar bear and the musk ox. Initially the fur was blended with fine Romney or Corriedale, but it was later found that Merino at about 18- 22 microns was more suitable as the finer fibers tended to hold the fur better and reduce the possibility of shedding. The fiber may be seen as similar to cashmere.
Due to the difficulty of getting the possums out of the bush and the hard work of plucking the small amount from each possum, the fur is expensive relative to other fibers such as wool, mohair or alpaca. Blending it in a 25% mix with wool which makes it affordable and broadens its use in the exotic fiber industry.
copyright Wild Fibers Magazine, 2004. May not be reprinted without permission.
Contact: Linda Cortright, Editor Wild Fibers Magazine
P.O. Box 1752, Rockland, ME 04841 207-594-9455