189 years after import, possums damage half of trees in rare New Zealand forest

In 1837, New Zealand introduced Australian brushtail possums in the hope of building a profitable fur industry. The animals were expected to provide valuable pelts and help create a new rural economy, but the experiment had consequences that stretched far beyond anyone’s expectations. Nearly two centuries later, possums have become one of the country’s most damaging introduced pests, feeding on native plants, competing with wildlife and spreading disease. New aerial photographs from a rare South Island forest now show the scale of the problem in dramatic detail. About half of the forest’s vulnerable trees have been damaged, with possums stripping foliage and weakening the canopy from above.