Yum!

wdeep

wdeep

New Member
Possums, Number One Pest, Become Dogfood

Last Updated: July 11, 2001 08:47 AM ET

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Possums, New Zealand's number one pest, are going to the dogs.

"Possyum," a canned pet food made from possum meat, is the brainchild of New Zealand farmer Bryan Bassett-Smith, who plans to break into the markets of Singapore and South Korea.

The possum, a cat-sized tree-climbing marsupial from Australia, was introduced into New Zealand in 1837 to establish a fur trade.

But with their population now topping 70 million -- 20 times the number of New Zealanders -- the furry pests represent a danger to native forests, chomping through an estimated seven million tonnes of vegetation a year.

The new petfood is already being sold in New Zealand and the company is now eyeing the lucrative export markets of Singapore and Korea, Bassett-Smith told Reuters. He developed the product with the help of a government grant.

"It smells and tastes very much like a good corned beef. It's got a nice odor to it and dogs just go quite bananas over it," he said.

A network of trappers collect the possums for canning.

Possum is not widely eaten by people in New Zealand although several restaurants have served up possum pie as a novelty item.

Efforts are also being made to farm possums for their meat to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia for human consumption as Kiwi Bear.
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:eek:
 
K

krusty

Guest
Kiwi Bear... sheesh, now I've heard everything.

possum's are a plague here, they're not native to NZ so they destroy a lot of the natural vegetation.

and they make really wierd noises during mating season (who doesn't) they sound like frankenstein's monster moaning away all night.... the bastiches.

Cbrush.jpg
btposs.jpg


only good possum is a dead possum.
 
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