Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao
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    • Join a group
    • Report a catch
    • Trap rats, possums and more
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  1. Home
  2. Get Involved
  3. Trap rats, possums and more
  4. Possums

Possums

Possums just love the succulent leaves, buds and flowers of the New Zealand bush. One possum eats around 3.5kg per night, depriving our native birds of the berries and nectar they need. But possums don’t just devastate the foliage, they also eat eggs, chicks, insects and snails. And they spread bovine tuberculosis in cattle.

In short, possums don’t belong here. The Australian common brushtailed possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) was introduced to isolated spots around Aotearoa in the 1850s with the intention of starting a fur trade. They quickly escaped (or were released) and spread to almost every part of the country. By the 1980s we had up to 70 million of them, and though possum control has halved that number there is still lots of work to do. Check out some interesting facts here.

Aotea (Great Barrier), Hauturu (Little Barrier), Waiheke and many smaller islands around Auckland have always remained possum-free, and possums have been eradicated from Rangitoto, Motutapu and Tiritiri Matangi. In suburban Auckland they’re still abundant, browsing your trees, eating your fruit and seriously impacting native biodiversity. Fortunately, urban trees are accessible and trapping is effective. With a bit of effort, eliminating possums from inner west Auckland seems a very achievable target.

Trapping possums

Historically, hunting has been a successful (and sometimes profitable) way of controlling possum numbers in the bush. This isn’t appropriate in a suburban setting, and isn’t successful once numbers are low – which is what we’re aiming for.

Across the Urban Ark area, Auckland Council contractors lay bait for possums in many of the larger reserves. This helps keeps numbers down, but often works best when supplemented by trapping.

If you’ve got a problem with possums in your area we’d love to help. The Urban Ark tool library has a number of Trapinator possum traps which can be deployed for a few weeks to knock back the numbers. For larger infestations, we can help set up a permanent possum trapline.

The best approach is to join your local group, and check out our Trapping Resources pages for more information, particularly on:

  • setting a Trapinator possum trap
  • which lures to use to attract possums to your trap
  • how to blaze the tree to provide a visual attractant
  • keeping tabs on numbers by recording your catch
  • how to dispose of your catch

In this section

  • Get Involved
    • Join a group
      • Forest & Bird Bullock Track Bush
      • Friends of Maungawhau
      • Friends of Oakley Creek Te Auaunga
      • Jaggers Bush Restoration Group
      • Kingsland Eco-neighbourhood
      • Lemington Reserve Restoration Group
      • Lower Waitītko groups
      • Maungawhau Ecological Halo
      • Oakley Loop Group
      • Pest Free Gladstone
      • Pest Free Balmoral
      • Pest Free Mt Eden
      • Pest Free Ōwairaka
      • Pest Free Pt Chevalier
      • Pest Free Sandringham
      • Pest Free Waterview
      • Predator Free Grey Lynn
      • Predator Free Herne Bay-Ponsonby
      • Predator Free Morningside / Western Springs
      • Manu Tīoriori I Te Uru / Western Songbird Project
      • Predator Free Westmere / Kaiwhakahaere
      • STEPS
      • Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao
      • Wellparkers
      • Conservation Volunteeers NZ
    • Report a catch
    • Trap rats, possums and more
      • Rats
      • Possums
      • Stoats
      • Hedgehogs
      • Wasps
    • Remove weeds
    • Plant natives
    • Make your garden native-friendly
    • Become a trustee
    • Other ways you can help
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© Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao 2022

Photo credits: Bartek Wyptch (grey warbler), Predator Free NZ (possum); Paul Whitfield (traps)

Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao logo: Glenn Jones

Website by RS

  • Get Involved
    • Join a group
      • Forest & Bird Bullock Track Bush
      • Friends of Maungawhau
      • Friends of Oakley Creek Te Auaunga
      • Jaggers Bush Restoration Group
      • Kingsland Eco-neighbourhood
      • Lemington Reserve Restoration Group
      • Lower Waitītko groups
      • Maungawhau Ecological Halo
      • Oakley Loop Group
      • Pest Free Gladstone
      • Pest Free Balmoral
      • Pest Free Mt Eden
      • Pest Free Ōwairaka
      • Pest Free Pt Chevalier
      • Pest Free Sandringham
      • Pest Free Waterview
      • Predator Free Grey Lynn
      • Predator Free Herne Bay-Ponsonby
      • Predator Free Morningside / Western Springs
      • Manu Tīoriori I Te Uru / Western Songbird Project
      • Predator Free Westmere / Kaiwhakahaere
      • STEPS
      • Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao
      • Wellparkers
      • Conservation Volunteeers NZ
    • Report a catch
    • Trap rats, possums and more
      • Rats
      • Possums
      • Stoats
      • Hedgehogs
      • Wasps
    • Remove weeds
    • Plant natives
    • Make your garden native-friendly
    • Become a trustee
    • Other ways you can help
  • Biodiversity
    • Birds
      • Kākā
      • Kākāriki
      • Kererū
      • Korimako / Bellbird
      • Riroriro / Grey Warbler
      • Tōrea / South Island Pied Oystercatcher
      • Rūrū / Morepork
      • Tūī
      • White-faced heron
      • Rogues gallery
    • Bats
    • Skinks and geckos
    • Butterflies and moths
    • Invertebrates
    • Landscapes
      • The maunga
      • Waitītiko / Meola Creek
      • Te Auaunga / Oakley Creek
      • Rock forests
  • Resources
    • The Workshop
      • Making trap tunnels
      • Rat-proof your compost
      • Build a wētā motel
      • Nest boxes for ruru
    • Tool library
    • Trapping resources
      • Setting rat traps
      • Setting a Trapinator possum trap
      • Humane trapping
      • Pulsing
      • What's the best lure?
      • Blaze your tree
      • Recording your catch
      • Dealing with dead rats (and possums)
      • New technology
    • Promotional resources
    • Pest monitoring
      • Chew cards
      • Wax tags
      • Tracking tunnels
    • Being a good citizen
    • Seeking funding
    • Cats
    • Dogs
    • Schools
    • Businesses
    • Health & Safety
  • News
  • Events
  • About us
    • Our vision
    • Our plan
    • Our partners and supporters
    • Our trust board
  • Support us
  • Contact