The brushtail possum was first introduced to New Zealand from Australia in 1837 with settlers hoping to establish a fur industry, but by 1946 the marsupials were officially declared a pest in New Zealand, Predator NZ says. Photo: Supplied / Samantha Kotz
Monitoring has shown possums are lurking in urban New Plymouth, despite a common misconception the pesky pest is just a rural problem.
Towards Predator-Free Taranaki recently completed its annual urban possum monitoring for the ninth consecutive year.
A line of 10 wax tags (a small lump of possum attractive non-toxic wax on a tag attached to a post or tree) was set up at 25 sites at New Plymouth parks and reserves. They were left out for a week then collected and analysed for possum bite marks.
This year 18.75 percent of tags had possum bite marks, down from 33.5 percent in 2017, but slightly up on last year.
Te Henui walkway in New Plymouth was a hot spot for possums, with two sites at 90 percent and 60 percent respectively for bite marks.
The popular walkway was prime possum habitat, with native bush and waterways for them to travel along, which made control an ongoing challenge.
Ngāmotu Domain (80 percent) had ongoing issues with trap vandalism, which was being addressed.
On the plus side, Towards Predator-Free Taranaki was working with keen young trappers at nearby Moturoa School, who were already seeing promising results with many possums caught.
There were plenty of positives, with 12 out of the 25 sites having zero evidence of possums.
Paritūtū/Centennial Park came in at 10 percent, down from 50 percent in 2023, with committed volunteers helping make a difference.
Towards Predator-Free Taranaki's Chauncy Ardell said monitoring showed a sharp decline in possum numbers after New Plymouth District Council got on board in 2021, with a Predator-Free Programme Coordinator and network of volunteers who continued to maintain and check traps in the city.
Coastal Walkway and Lake Rotomanu volunteers have removed a lot of possums, Ardell said.
At 20 percent and 30 percent respectively this year, the trend is heading in the right direction as both sites were at 90 percent in 2021.
"Right across New Plymouth and Taranaki volunteers are doing fantastic mahi and they are making an impact.
"We've also noticed more urban residents wanting possum traps for their backyards after seeing their lemon trees being stripped or other signs of possum activity.
"But the key to getting rid of possums or any predator is to keep at it. It's not just about catching one possum and then putting the trap in the shed."
Ardell said many people were surprised to hear there were possums in the city.
"Just because you don't see or hear them doesn't mean they are not there."
Spring was a great time to set possum traps across Taranaki as young males were roaming to find a mate. After a cold winter, they would be looking for high protein meals, putting birds' eggs and chicks at risk.
Towards Predator-Free Taranaki is a community initiative led by Taranaki Regional Council.
Set up in 2018 to support the nation's Predator Free 2025 goal, it had achieved the goal of having rat traps in one in five New Plymouth backyards, set up thousands of mustelid traps on farmland across the region and established the successful Zero Possum project between Oākura and Ōkato.
Trapinator possum traps were available for $50 from Taranaki Regional Council offices in Stratford or from the Envirohub (beside Brooklands Zoo) in New Plymouth (open Tuesday to Thursday 9.30am to 2.30pm).
For more information about trapping in Taranaki, [pftaranaki@trc.govt.nz email the regional council] or check out the Towards Predator-Free Taranaki page or download the free Trap Smarter guide with tips for beginner and expert trappers, to see the guide click here (PDF).
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