The Life of Animals | Possum | The common brushtail possum was introduced to New Zealand by European Settlers in an Attempt to Establish a fur industry. There are no native predators of the possum in New Zealand.
Since 1996, Efforts have been made to use possum fur in clothing. A blend of Australian possum fur with merino brushtailed wool was developed by Untouched World, a New Zealand fashion label. The product is Called merinomink, eco-possum, possumdown, eco fur or possum wool, and accounts for 95% of all commercially caught possum fur. Possum fur is also used for fur trim, jackets, bed throws, and possum leather gloves. All the fur is obtained from wild-caught possums, the which are Considered pests.
Almost half (13.3 million hectares) of New Zealand's vegetated land is under some form of possum control, either for conservation Reasons, or to Reduced the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
