Alien invaders

Stunning portraits of introduced species and their influence on our fauna over two centuries.

- BY MARK BROATCH

When 19th-century settlers began to arrive in this country in large numbers, they brought with them plants and animals from their homelands. Some were intended for food. Others were brought in to remind immigrants of home, and some were imported later to deal with the problems inevitably created by other introduced animals. An ancient ecosystem, of highly adapted birds and bats, insects and lizards, was forever changed.

In Kiwi photographer Cally Whitham's first book The Long Shadow, she has assembled portraits of introduced animals alongside the natives, quoting from historical accounts to explore the destruction and adaptation of the time.