New Zealand: Mystery over scattered possum tails

Possums were introduced to New Zealand in the 19th Century to establish a fur trade, but are considered a pest

People in northern New Zealand have been left puzzled by the appearance of thousands of possum tails along the region's roads.

The "fresh-looking" tails were found scattered along highways and minor roads in the Auckland and Northland regions over the weekend, the Stuff.co.nz website reports. One motorist writes on Facebook that she did a rough count while travelling and tallied about 15 tails per kilometre. The local authorities say they have no idea whether the tail dumping was accidental or part of a protest.

"What would make someone want to go on a joy ride with a truck load of possum tails and scatter them like rose petals out the window from Northland down to here?" says Neil Henderson, a local board member for Waitakere Ranges, in western Auckland. "It's really bizarre."

One theory is that a possum culler was transporting the tails as evidence of his work, in order to collect payment. But the director of a possum pelt company tells the New Zealand Herald that normally the animals' bodies would be left intact, and says the idea of someone driving around with possum parts is "like something out of the Twilight Zone".

New Zealand's department of conservation describes the bushy-tailed creatures as "one of the greatest threats to our natural environment", because of their impact on native plants and animals. While they are routinely culled, there have been protests at the government's use of the poison 1080 because the substance is dropped from the air, potentially harming pets and other animals.

Next story: Animals inspire new Chinese exercise trend

Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.