New Year ’s Eve countdown bollock tend to be large , sparkly . What they tend not to be are arboreal marsupials . Not so for Brasstown , North Carolina . In the“possum capital of the south,”possums are the traditional markerlowered into a cheering crowdto symbolize the remnant of the year .
For the past 20 years , Clay Logan , a former tree diagram specialist for the U.S. Forest Service , current possessor of store called Clay ’s Corner , and eternal fancier of lowering possum from heights , has held a “ Possum Drop”on the last dark of the class . Logansuspends a box seat containing a possumfive meters from a circle thrown over a unclouded pole . The custom - made boxwood he use has air hole and image of the American flag . Prior to the lowering , there are blue grass performances and an annual reading of a poem about phalanger .
The unconventional mess town event draws thousands of people . It has alsodrawn the fury of PETA , harass three lawsuit from the animate being rightfield group .
Logan has been able to orchestrate his event in late class thanks to a statute that suspends county wildlife law from December 26 to January 2 . PETA has action the state for creating a “ zona of lawlessness ” by perish this constabulary . This year , a justice issued an enjoinment against the jurisprudence , and Logan has to get a wildlife permit to degenerate the possum .
He has n’t applied for one , but Logan is adamantine that the possum fall will go down even without a live animal . A few class ago , Logan carry the drop with a dead opossum instead of the traditional live wight after legal threat from PETA , so there may be another corpse lowered this year .
“ We may have possum stew or something if we find one dead , ” Logantoldthe Charlotte Observer . “ No live phalanger , lease ’s put it like that . ”
The Los Angeles Timescovered Logan ’s troublescarrying on his annual issue , interview multitude from both sides of the possum war :
Jeff Kerr , PETA ’s oecumenical pleader in Washington , say : “ We ’re stunned that something as badly - conceptualise and brutal as dropping an possum in a box is still need place in the twenty-first century . This is pure terror for a small baseless animal that ’s diffident and quash humans at all cost . ”
The opossum are subjected to “ charm myopathy , ” Kerr say , a shape he said can kill the fauna . Logan ’s opossums credibly die shortly after being unloose , accord to Kerr .
Logan names each possum “ O.P. ” It stand for “ Old Possum . ” Onhis website , he emphasize his pressure that the animal are not harm :
Another message follows , below connexion to commemorative Possum Drop t - shirt : “ Note : The opossum is not actually “ dropped ” , it is lowered with great care . We treat our petty friend with respect , hold him in awe , and do not bring down any injury or traumatize God ’s creature of the nighttime .
Image via Wikimedia Commons
New Years Eve
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