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Possum - Source: ONE News -
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Possums are chewing their way through New Zealand's native bush and spreading disease at an alarming rate but an end to the pest and controversial poison 1080 may be in sight.
It's hard to believe the cute marsupials are a pest but over $100 million is spent each year trying to trap or poison the 70 million plus possum population.
Eradicating possums is a costly and controversial process with 1080 considered a necessary evil by the experts, but research could spell the end to the little green pellets.
A hormone disruption study being run by Victoria University and Wellington Zoo aims to use fertility control as a way of managing the possum population.
"It's deemed more humane and for that reason it seems to be a lot more acceptable," Associate Professor Doug Eckery says.
Zoo spokesman Katja Geschke says unfortunately New Zealand has perfect conditions for possums.
"They've got food in abundance, they don't have real predators and so they're just exploding and becoming a real issue for our native faunae and flora," Geschke says.
The researchers are on track to replace the 1080 and have already proven the possum's ability to breed can be reduced for up to two years with just one injection.
Eckery and the team hope to have an edible version of the vaccine ready for field trials by 2013, meaning the days for the possum could well be numbered.
"One of the advantages of this is over a poison is if a non target species was to get into one of these fertility controls it wouldn't kill it...that's not our goal though, we want to make it as specific as possible," says Eckery.
But if the study goes to plan the likes of stoats, rabbits and goats could all be included.
