The print media in New Zealand is guilty of condemning possums by propaganda said a 2015 paper by Anne Potts on Academia, recently found by the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations.
“The print media in New Zealand partakes in a ‘modern propaganda campaign’ which serves to reinforce the demonisation of possums and marginlise them further. Structuring content in the form of War Programming to justify mass possum killing as part of the bigger picture of control and national protection. The possum as a living being is obscured.”
Annie Potts said the framing of possum competitions as sport and spectacle encourages the entertainment factor of killing and trivialises possums lives and deaths.
“It creates a narrative which makes the activity of participating in possum killing events seem enticing, enjoyable and culturally valuable.”
In addition to these themes, an opposition of ‘good animal’ versus ‘bad animal’ is established within news media discourses to further marginalise possums, and construct a human champion in the fight against them.
“The possums’ perspective is always excluded from any debate. Their point of view is never considered; rather possums are prevented from living at all – both literally in the environment and within print discourse”
In the abstract, Annie Potts said there is a common saying in New Zealand: ‘the only good possum is a dead possum’.
“This colloquialism demonstrates much about the negative reputation and maltreatment of brushtail possums in New Zealand.”
In the past few decades, a concerted campaign mounted by the New Zealand government has targeted possums as ruthless pests, demonising these marsupials to the extent that “international tourists are even advised to swerve while driving on country roads in order to hit and kill these animals.”
“The print media promotes an overwhelmingly negative representation of possums which influences cultural understanding and public attitudes – ultimately reproducing and reinforcing hatred, disrespect and maltreatment of opossums warranting extermination and undeserving of compassion.
Bill Benfield
Anne Potts contention about the demonising of the possum is not the first time some have defended the marsupial from unjust criticism. The late Bill Benfield, an ardent conservationist, in his book “The Third Wave” wrote the possum, ‘a marsupial about the size of a cat, enjoys the worst press of all our exotic animals. We are told it is responsible for the canopy collapse in our forests, for the presence of bovine Tb in our cattle herds and for the predation upon our native bird life.”
Bill Benfield detailed research studies that have been conveniently ignored by the media, the Department of Conservation, local bodies, and organisations like Forest and Bird. Quoting various scientific studies he wrote “the claims—do not stack up.”
Bill Benfield “anti-possum claims don’t stack up.”
In November 1994 at a Department of Conservation possum pest workshop, Landcare Research scientist Graham Nugent observed possum browse was slight compared with natural foliage production and questioned whether possum browse “is of sufficient conservation concern to warrant possum control.”
Possum are slow breeders-one “joey” a year – and their population grows slowly unlike the super breeder rat – a female rat can produce 50 more or less a year.
Photos of possums raiding birds nests were allegedly staged and were “contrived events for the camera” wrote Bill Benfield. Similarly claims of possums as spreaders of bovine Tb are wildly exaggerated as invariably Tb outbreaks can be traced to stock movements assisted by an error prone skin test used to test stock for Tb.
Eco-Niche
Conservationist Bill Benfield wrote in terms of the forest environment, that possum more or less, occupy the ecological niche left vacant by browsing birds such as the kakapo. The browsing function of the ecosystem was well evolved over millions of years by herbivore birds such as the moa and pigeon (kereru).
New predator-free environment.
Far from being a burden on the country, the possum has the potential to be a resource. Bill Benfield wrote in his second book “At War with Nature” nation’s lucrative meat and dairy industries. In the past few decades a concerted campaign mounted by the that possum fur is worth five or six times more than the finest merino. A pet food venture utilising possum meat had lucrative export markets in Asia abruptly lost when a television documentary extolling New Zealand’s 1080 aerial poisoning programme, was screened in Japan.
New Zealand government has targeted possums as ruthless pests, demonizing these marsupials to the extent that international tourists are even advised to swerve while driving on the country’s roads in order to hit and kill these animals.
A road-killed possum. “International tourists are even advised to swerve while driving on country roads in order to hit and kill these animals
The problem lies in the “pest” culture which has been deeply ingrained into New Zealanders ever since ‘The Deer Menace’ Conference in 1930.
Never use the word “pest”. Think in terms of “resource” and :”management” the lastter can be about managing numbers.
Yes the possum has been very maligned.
Hatred is ideological and illogical. An open minded attitude is essential to assessing wildlife. Pierre Renaud is correct, possums are a resource not a pest. Good wildlife management does not deal in extermination attempts and topdressing the animal’s habitat with 1080 which kills other life such as insects and birds.
To the point, The New Zealand Government has been very successful at propaganda….possums…1080…covid shots…they suceeded. Time NZ gets a “Trump ” in office……NZ’s reputation is destroyed. It is not clean, green or pristine. If you don’t rise up now while the time is ripe……..you will carry on with the same old lies. APATHY IS THE ENEMY OF FREEDOM.
Try getting any of the information in this article into the print media, you’ve got no show in hell unless you are agreeing with fact they are destroying the bush and eating baby birds and eggs.
While I do accept that some predation on some birds eggs occurs the rest of Benfield’s findings are still valid. There is great benefit for the 1080 industry in demonizing possums and the accusation of possums spreading bovine TB has no evidential support. The Goebbels principle appears to apply here. If you tell a terminological inexactitude (Winston Churchill’s words) often and forcefully enough the people will believe it. The TB testing of possums has not had a positive result for decades but keeps a farmer-friendly group of testing staff busy.
I keep trying, Introduced Brush Tailed Possums should be regarded as an Asset! How So ? With our Free Trade Arrangement with PRC China > Possum Meat ( even whole Possum with the Skin left on ) , should be exported ! as a replacement for their Red Tree Panda that is becoming extinct in the Wild ? Red Tree Panda fur / Pelts are used in some Chinese Cultural Groups Weddings ! Could NZs Red Possum be used instead ? There must be a Market here , times have changed lets go with it .
The possum has been demonised by our media for decades. It could be a top resource for meat, pet food and fur. Woke people through ignorance castigate the possum and most have never even handled one or been near one.
Far too much ideology and dogma coming from the government, when what we need is flexibility and creative solutions. Its tragic how possums are blamed for so much when they could be a fabulous resource for NZ.
Recently my wife took in a young Joey. Very hard work to keep the wee tacker alive. Turned out to be a fantastic pet. I got the pleasure of 9 months observing the habits of the wee critter. Was quite fascinating really. I don’t think I have observed a more aware and on edge animal. The senses were always on high alert and the intelligence was next level. Unfortunately a dog liked wee jack more than my wife and he died an untimely death.
As with all species, I do not believe humans have a right to eradicate them. Perhaps if we knocked a few million humans on the head in NZ instead all of nature would flourish but most importantly co exist with each other.
Human land development is the biggest threat to most species struggling