Two palm trees fitted with possum guards, growing in Royal Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula, i

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Two palm trees fitted with possum guards, growing in Royal Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula, is a reviled pest in many parts of urban Victoria, due to its habit of feeding on tree leaves, fruit, flowering plants in gardens, and its ability to enter roof-spaces, causing damage, pollution and noise. In the area around Royal Park it is estimated that the population of possums is much higher than is found in rural regions of Victoria, at 15-40 per hectare. In rural Victoria, the population is 1-4 per hectare. Local councils seek to protect the finest trees in their parks by the use of smooth sheets of plastic or metal fixed around the trunks of valued trees. Possums are unable to climb past these barriers, and, provided that the tree is sufficiently distant from any unguarded neighbours, it will be protected from damage.

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Size: 3468px × 5212px
Photo credit: © DR JEREMY BURGESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: australia., biological, biology, botanical, botany, brushtail, guard, melbourne, park, pest, possum, royal, trichosurus, urban, victoria, vulpecula, zoological, zoology