Department of Conservation

Q: Who are the Department of Conservation?
A: The D.O.C is a government orgaization which their role is to sustain New Zealand's natural heritage to future generations.


Q: What is D.O.C and The Royal Society of Forests and Birds doing to prevent possums destroying our resources?
A: They are currently researching about how they can stop possums reproducing effectively. They also set up traps in parks and forests using the bait in cage method to make furry clothing. The D.O.C is working very hard to get rid of these pests, but so far, it hasn't made much of an effect yet. Plus, this is costing millions of dollars! The ultimate secret weapon is still unexistant right now.


Q: What are some failures and successes the organisation's have had?
A: Our NZ citizens are trying hard to kill millions of possums a year, but it's not making much of a difference because there are approximately 70 million possums living in NZ and millions more are being born right at this moment. Scientists have done trials of many different types of traps, but most of them havent become official. A success is that scientists have made a possum birth control chemical, so they won't multiply as much. But it is pretty hard to get 35 million possums and give them the 'pill'.