Former Wellington mayor and Green Party associate conservation spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown has joined calls not to keep possums as pets.
Last week, Greater Wellington Regional Council raised concerns about people keeping possums as pets because of the risk to native birds and plants.
Carterton resident Wade-Brown has successfully promoted pest control in the area around her home in Mangatārere Valley and in the broader Wairarapa region.
“Since significant possum control in our valley, I have seen real native regeneration, including flowering rata, clematis, and scarlet mistletoe,” she said.
“Precious places such as Pūkaha deserve protection.”
Possums were a serious threat to biodiversity, orchards and stock, she said.
Wade-Brown is part of the Mangatārere Catchment Group, which works to enhance the water quality and biodiversity of the Mangatārere Stream. She was also a previous board member of Predator Free Wellington.
She said there was a significant danger to wider conservation efforts in keeping possums at home as pets.
“If they escape or are released, they can cause serious damage to forest canopy, completely killing mature trees.
“They are also a proven threat to native birds and their eggs.
“It’s not their fault that possums don’t fit into our ecology in Aotearoa New Zealand and must be dispatched humanely.
“However, we can’t undermine long-running successful conservation campaigns from councils and communities.”
The Greater Wellington Regional Council report said the council was aware of a small number of people keeping possums at home as pets.
Council environment operations manager Myfanwy Hill said possums posed a serious threat to native birds and plants.
“No one in the community should consider them pets.
“We work hard to ensure native flora and fauna can thrive and be protected from pests such as possums.
“When they are kept as pets, it puts the health of our ecosystems seriously at risk.”
Predator Free Wellington project director James Willcocks said community involvement had been central to the success of the group’s programme.
“People keeping possums as pets could deal a major blow to the hard work of so many in our communities over decades,” he said.
“Possums damage our trees, eat birds’ eggs and can spread tuberculosis.
“With Greater Wellington, we’ve made great strides, removing possums from our region, so we ask that people look at the bigger picture, instead of trying to domesticate pests.”
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air