For all of the fans who have been a part of the tradition for the last two decades of dropping a possum in western North Carolina on New Year’s Eve, a judge has ruled against the activity.
“Citizens are prohibited from capturing and using wild animals for pets or amusement,” Judge Fred Morrison wrote in his ruling. “Hunters must afford wild animals the same right Patrick Henry yearned for: ‘Give me liberty, or give me death!”
This decision ends the annual activity of suspending a possum in a see-through boxed covered in holiday lights and lowered to the ground at the stroke of midnight. The event normally attracts 2,000 to 3,000 people annually.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sued the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which issues the permit for the event, saying it’s illegal and cruel. They have 30 days to appeal the ruling.
Looks like Carolinians will need to go south to Georgia for the Peach Drop or head up north to New York for the dropping of the ball in Times Square.
