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My husband is over the moon with his Forest Fur hat, gloves and scarf, as it is rather cold at the moment. Thank You! ... More

Sue, Leicester UK

New Zealand Forest Fur™

Australian BrushTail PossumThe fur of the Australian Brushtail Possum is similar in quality to mink. New Zealand Forest Fur™ is a luxuriously soft mixture of 60% Merino wool and 40% possum fur. Merino wool is superior, longer and stronger than most wool, giving better appearance and durability. The mixture of the two fibers creates the world's most exclusive fiber, so soft that it can be worn next to your skin. New Zealand Forest Fur™ is a hollow fiber that traps air inside making it lightweight and extremely warm. It is also anti-static and non-pilling.

New Zealand Forest Fur™ is environmentally friendly to purchase because every brushtail possum exterminated means a little less native habitat is destroyed. The only way that the New Zealand government can get the brushtail possum population down to manageable levels is by marketing products worldwide, getting people who care about the environment to purchase these products so that it becomes financially viable for hunters to trap the possum and reduce their numbers and help save New Zealand's environment. Native forests and birds will have a greater chance for survival. New Zealand Forest Fur™ is about the protection of New Zealand native forests and wildlife.

40% Possum Fur/60% Merino WoolHistory of New Zealand Forest Fur

The Australian Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) was introduced to New Zealand in 1858. Since then the population has multiplied to epidemic proportions, over 70 million. This furry marsupial is only very distantly related to the American opossum. New Zealand is a paradise for the Australian Brushtail Possum. Because it has no natural predators, the Australian Brushtail Possum population is decimating New Zealand's native forests, eating 21,000 tons of vegetation nightly. This serious threat has spread to over 90% of New Zealand's 3 main islands. Not only are these pests a severe threat to the native forests, but to bird life as well, including the native Kiwi bird. Many native trees, plants and bird life are under threat of extinction because the possum is destroying their habitat. Preservation of New Zealand's native forests requires control of the possum population. The Australian Brushtail Possum also poses a threat to the beef and dairy industries by spreading bovine TB. Possum control has become a major focus for the Department of Conservation, spending over $117 million NZ per year.

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