Midnight Visitor - New Zealand's Uninvited Guests

This evening - we had some biscuit mixture which we wanted to shape. It was all a bit soft, and there was no room for it in the fridge - so we put it outside on the table on the deck - JUST for FIVE minutes...
When we went to bring it back inside - THIS is what was on the table EATING our cookie dough!!!!!! He scuttled away up the Rewarewa tree - then posed while I grabbed the camera!

Alas no cookies for us!

There are about 70 MILLION Possum's to New Zealand's 4million human population. That's approx 20 possums per person - so I guess we can be thankful that we found just 1 eating our cookie dough. Possums were introduced to New Zealand from Australia (thanks mate!) in 1837. They are nocturnal marsupials with sharp claws for climbing trees and ripping bark. Unfortunately our vegetation did not evolve to protect itself from such hungry beasts and their appetite for NZ indigenous trees is killing our native habitat. They also have no predators in New Zealand (although the road kill figures may differ from that). As a result they have become our nations no.1 pest. It is a crime NOT to run over these critters if you see them ambling across the road at night (not legally - but your neighbours will frown at you if you don't). They are actively slaughtered by the Department Of Conservation and even the fashion industry is cashing in on the possum's demise. Pity our un-neighbourly possom did not see our large possum rug in our lounge. And lastly they apparently have a good sense of smell - (we will remember that next time!)





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