Rafting Possums Pose a Threat to Kapiti

Meredith said: I doubt I'll ever make it to the Seychelles, so it was fun t ... [1 day ago]&nbsp;
Larry said: Thanks Mike. As of today there are two new fires in the area ... [5 days ago]&nbsp;
Mike said: Excellent post and photos, Larry. Thanks for adding context ... [5 days ago]&nbsp;
Cynthia Pittman said: Try putting a plastic owl nailed to the limb that sould work ... [5 days ago]&nbsp;

August 10, 2012
Duncan
News
1 Comment

Kapiti, a predator free island near Wellington that I’ve spoken of before, came close to receiving another mammalian invader recently. Fishermen out near the island spotted a possum riding a floating log close to the island. It seems unlikely that the possum made it to the island, but it shows how vulnerable even the most important reserves are and how important it is to move towards a mammalian predator free New Zealand.

Duncan

Duncan Wright is a Wellington-based ornithologist working on the evolution of New Zealand's birds. He's previously poked albatrosses with sticks in Hawaii, provided target practice for gulls in California, chased monkeys up and down hills Uganda, wrestled sharks in the Bahamas and played God with grasshopper genetics in Namibia. He came into studying birds rather later in life, and could quit any time he wants to.