The fur trade

Possums were first released into New Zealand in 1837 to establish a fur trade. They were initially protected to allow numbers to increase.

Today, the ‘wild fur’ trade is big business in New Zealand. Possums are trapped or poisoned in the name of conservation, then sold for fur, thus marketing possum fur as an ‘ethical and sustainable’ choice.

Leghold traps and cyanide poisoning are the recommended methods of trapping and killing possums, both of which cause the animals immense suffering. Ferrets and stoats are also targeted, although they are not commonly used for their fur.

The fur industry has undergone intense scrutiny for decades, not just from animal rights groups, but also from the general public. Like other industries that profit from cruelty, the fur industry goes out of its way to gloss over the truth and portray fur as an ethical, ‘eco’ choice ‒ particularly in New Zealand, where the control of animals labelled as pests and profiting from fur go hand in hand.

In New Zealand, possums are either caught in leghold traps or poisoned with cyanide, then sold for profit, to be made into hats, gloves and slippers, or blended with merino wool to make fabric for clothing.

The truth is, there is nothing eco-friendly about fur. Toxic chemicals are commonly used to preserve and process the skins, and it takes 20 times as much energy to prepare a coat made from animal fur as it does to make one made from fake fur. Fur coats are not biodegradable – they are coated in chemicals to stop them from rotting.