Editing Common brushtail possum (section)

===New Zealand===
{{Main|Common brushtail possum in New Zealand}}
Since its [[introduced species|introduction]] from Australia by European settlers in the 1850s, the common brushtail possum has become a major threat to New Zealand native forests and birds. It is also [[Bovine tuberculosis#New Zealand|a host]] for the highly contagious [[bovine tuberculosis]].<ref name="Meyer2000" /> This is not an issue in Australia, where the disease has been eradicated.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=More |first1=SJ |last2=Radunz |first2=B |last3=Glanville |first3=RJ |title=Lessons learned during the successful eradication of bovine tuberculosis from Australia. |journal=The Veterinary Record |date=5 September 2015 |volume=177 |issue=9 |pages=224–32 |doi=10.1136/vr.103163 |pmid=26338937 |pmc=4602242}}</ref>

By the 1980s, the peak population had reached an estimated 60–70 million, but is now down to an estimated 30 million due to control measures. The New Zealand Department of Conservation controls possum numbers in many areas via the aerial dropping of [[1080 usage in New Zealand|1080-laced bait]].<ref name="NZ1080" /> Hunting is not restricted, but the population seems to be stable despite the annual killing of thousands of the animals.<ref name="Meyer2000" />