Wednesday 4 April 2007

Hello Possums

Today being Michael's birthday, and with the weather turning colder now that autumn is coming in, I bought Michael a scarf for the winter walks we plan to take. It's 50% superfine merino wool and 10% nylon for strength. The remaining 40% is possum fur. Brushtail possums are native to Australia and, unlike the North American opossum, exceptionally furry and cute. However, the scarf comes from New Zealand where imported possums have become pests, devastating the NZ wildlife, particularly rare species like the kiwi. As the possums are being culled anyway, someone had the bright idea of using their fur in winter woollies. The texture is as soft as cashmere and the manufacturers claim that it's the first new natural fibre to be introduced in 100 years.

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