Thread: Decades of 1080….before and after

Originally Posted by Moutere

In regard to possums only: rather than just keep numbers down, bureaucrats and bean counters can opt for aerial application that can approach and sometimes achieve statistical 100% kills. Post application monitoring typically ran at around 97-100 percent in my experience. Not to mention the rat by-kill.
It’s a fiscal no brainer.
In my opinion the fur industry kept a cap on possum numbers just like government cullers kept a cap on deer numbers post war, a loosing battle.

I dont have the records anymore but in a nutshell, when skin prices were very high the annual export sales through PGG and Wilson Neil of dried skins ( 1970's - mid 80's ) were declining each year because pressure on the possum population was greater than reproduction could support. There was not a square metre of bush anywhere that hadn't been poisoned or trapped. Every winter thousands of blokes headed into bush camps, many being flown in. As an example a friend of mine spent three months in the Mungo, tents and skin drying shelters flown in. Wool packs of dried skins flown out most graded 'firsts'
There is no question that 1080 drops reduce possum populations better than anything else which is a positive but there are negatives as well and continual drops are very injurious to birds and invertebrates.