A series of unfortunate events brought notorious pests to Aotearoa

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-12-09 03:00

New Zealand

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Introduced stoats and weasels wreak havoc on New Zealand’s native wildlife, but how did they get here? New research from the University of Waikato digs deep into the battle between conservationists and key players in the wool industry who wanted to import these creatures to protect their pastures from wild rabbits. While the introduction of these pests between 1880 and 1892 is often described as the most catastrophic event for conservation in the 19th century, research author Carolyn King shows that it was incredibly close to not happening at all.