PETA Objects To Festive Possum-Dropping Tradition

In Times Square, they drop a ball on New Year’s. In Brasstown, North Carolina, they apparently drop a possum. PETA, being PETA, would like this to stop. They say, “Using a captive opossum as the centerpiece of a raucous party is cruel and illegal.” However, possum-drop orchestrator Clay Logan says the event is perfectly humane, and that the animal is lowered slowly, not dropped. He adds, “It’s a lot of good clean family fun. No alcohol. We advertise it as the only New Year’s party you’ll remember the next day no matter how much fun you had.” We think it might be kinder to let the possum have a little champagne.