Table 3. Locations, dates and Euclidean (straight line) distances between a newly located possum infected with tuberculosis (TB) and the closest known possums with TB through contiguous possum habitat, for various locations in New Zealand (unpublished data, PG Livingstone).
| Nearest location of existing TB possum | Date existing TB possum found | New TB possum location | Date new TB possum found | Time interval (years) | Straight-line distance between two points (km) | Average distance moved per year (km/yr) | Type of possum habitat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Wanganui River (West Coast Region) | 1975 | Baton River (Tasman District) | 2000 | 25 | 45 | 1.8 | Rugged, high mountainous country covered in native forest |
| Kohaihai River (West Coast Region) | 1974 | Mangarakau (Tasman District) | 1998 | 24 | 55 | 2.3 | |
| Tauranga/Taupo River (Waikato Region | 1976 | Opepe (Waikato Region) | 1998 | 22 | 30 | 1.4 | Less rugged country, largely covered with a mix of exotic and native forest with farmland |
| Tauranga/Taupo River (Waikato Region | 1976 | Upper Waipunga River (Hawke's Bay Region) | 2000 | 24 | 45 | 1.9 | |
| Raes Junction (Otago Region) | 1995 | Rongahere (Otago Region) | 1998 | 3 | 12 | 4 | |
| Victoria Gully (Otago Region) | 1991 | Kingston (Otago Region) | 1995 | 4 | 20 | 5 | Open, high country with tussock and low shrub cover, largely farmed |