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Story: Possums

Possum skins drying

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Possum skins drying

A trapper dries his possum skins on boards outside a hut at Chaslands Mistake, south-east Otago. Possums were introduced into New Zealand in the 19th century to establish a fur trade. Although the country’s fur industry is very small and at times only marginally economic, some people have derived an income from selling possum skins and fur.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10037266

by T. Jackson

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Possums – Spread of possums, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/16886/possum-skins-drying (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 1 March 2009, updated 1 July 2015.