I did see a study a while ago that pretty much exonerated possoms in the spread of tb. Possom are quite territorial and dont movre around much and also dont tend to go out into farm paddocks. One study area in the Wellington region had tb infected cows but the possoms in the adjacent bush were not tb positive.
Even so the possom should not be here and if federated farmers want to pay towards their eradication Im not going to say no. That only leaves the method that has been done to death to many times of late.
Bovine Tb Not human Tb. People can get it, but can't spread it. Secondary host, and all that.
The issue with Bovine Tb is the cost to agriculture. Imagine a cocky gets a Tb positive cattlebeast in their herd. They have to cull the entire herd if they want rid of the disease, which has a long incubation period (could already be in several others) and would otherwise spread through them all in the end. Wait a period for any ambient infection to die, and then restock. A huge cost, and a huge trauma.
Now, imagine that the Tb got into the possums in the area. The farmer restocks. The possums reinfect his cattle. And he's back at square one culling them all again.
Then imagine the neighbours who possums carried the Tb to.
That's why meat from Tb infected countries cannot be exported to others are Tb free - they don't want to import the problem. And that's why we control Tb. And that's why we control possums. Britain and Ireland cull badgers- and they're an endangered species, for the same reason. Not because it poses a high risk the health of humans in NZ (unless you handle the carcasses), but for economic reasons.
This post has been edited by the author on 26 June 2015 at 21:57.
"and also dont tend to go out into farm paddocks".
Most successful trap line you'll ever have in an area is along the bush-pasture-margin. Especially if there's clover or sweeds in the paddock.
This post has been edited by the author on 26 June 2015 at 22:02.
That makes sense, madpom.
I understand that margins between 2 types of vegetation also have more productivity and diversity in food sources e.g. bracken versus fresh and saline bodies of water.
So anyway, it may very well taste like ass. But hey I won't really know until I try right? :P At least then I'll be able to definitively say, yeah, possum, don't eat it, lol.
Fry it then satay it... Everything tastes good satay'd.
Possums ok, slow cooked and well seasoned. Rabbits great roasted.
Go along with Geeves on the Pukeko.
It's probably going to be more over the campfire, maybe some creek water in a billy tin? lol
