Possessing a Frightened Wild Animal for New Year's Event Violates Law, Says Group
For Immediate Release:
December 15, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Brasstown, N.C. -- In advance of the New Year's Eve "Opossum Drop" at Brasstown's Clay's Corner—in which a live opossum is suspended above a rowdy crowd in a Plexiglas box for hours before being "dropped" about 40 feet in imitation of the Times Square ball drop—PETA has sent an urgent letter to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), asking the agency to prevent this illegal activity from taking place.
As PETA points out in the letter, North Carolina law prohibits possession of live wildlife without a permit—something the Clay's Corner owner, Clay Logan, does not have. Permits also require "humane treatment" of wild animals, and the Opossum Drop—in which the trapped animal suffers through a barrage of terrifying stimuli, including a fireworks display and even gunfire—does not qualify.
"Ignorance of the law is not a defense, and cruelty to animals is indefensible," says PETA Director Delcianna Winders. "Using a captive opossum as the centerpiece of a raucous party is cruel and illegal."
PETA has contacted Logan to offer to help him find a legal and humane alternative to using a live animal.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.