Kiwi Possum Chucking Contest

[wombat2u2004]

Can you believe this ????

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/po...923-15nnf.html

[Medusa]

No. I surely don't. The article said that the response served to bring the school and community closer together. Really?

[Marigold2]

That is just crazy. Not the way to teach ones child about the importantance of life and kindness to animals. Yes the animal is dead but still.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

it's a pest animal and it's already dead. I have no issues. But then again, I live out in the country, so it's no big deal to have to handle a carcass every now and again.

I'm sure enough people will raise enough hell to get the dead possum replaced with something else soon enough.

[Catherinedana]

Handling and disposing of a carcass is one thing. . .throwing it around for fun and sport is another.

[happylabs]

They are already dead. How did they die? I cannot see this as being an kind of appropriate activity for young kids.

If they are pests in NZ and protected in Austrailia, why not gather them up from NZ and send them on to Austrailia?

[wombat2u2004]

They are already dead. How did they die? I cannot see this as being an kind of appropriate activity for young kids.

If they are pests in NZ and protected in Austrailia, why not gather them up from NZ and send them on to Austrailia?

I have no idea why they are pests in NZ. A lot of people I know have them living somewhere in their roofs or in their electrical box or someplace else...they are quite cute actually. I have one in my roof, it has the prettiest face.

[IRescue452]

Sick. My grandfather used to brag how he'd take live cats by the tail and throw them. Are these kids going to do this when they see a live animal? Probably. It wasn't the animal's fault they were introduced to NZ.

[Karen]

I have no idea why they are pests in NZ.

It's probably another non-native species - they never swam across on their own, so now are destructive to the habitat of creatures that evolved to fill that niche in New Zealand.

That does not, however, excuse this stupidity!

[Taz_Zoee]

A rat or a mouse is a pest to me, but I sure wouldn't want to see people throwing them to see how far they can go. I think it's disgusting.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

Are these kids going to do this when they see a live animal? Probably.

Just how stupid are the kids in your area???

I think that by the time a kid is big enough to actually swing a pesky critter, they're old enough to know the difference between a dead varmit and a live pet.

"OK Timmy, pop quiz time! We have 2 animals here in front of us. Which one is a dead rat and which one is Mrs Ferguson's poodle?"

[Medusa]

I doubt that it's a matter of not being able to discriminate between a dead and a live animal but more like an attitude of disrespect. Even though an animal is dead, to mistreat its carcass is disrespectful to life although not human life. We're to be caretakers of the earth and its creatures. Throwing around an animal, even ones that are considered varmints, is hardly worthy of a caretaker.

[wombat2u2004]

I doubt that it's a matter of not being able to discriminate between a dead and a live animal but more like an attitude of disrespect. Even though an animal is dead, to mistreat its carcass is disrespectful to life although not human life. We're to be caretakers of the earth and its creatures. Throwing around an animal, even ones that are considered varmints, is hardly worthy of a caretaker.

And why an animal ??? Dead or alive ???
Wouldn't you think those kids could have more fun with a football ???
The mind boggles !!!!