TOWN BACKS OUT OF "POSSUM DROP" AGREEMENT

BREAKING NEWS: About-Face in Andrews NC - Town Reneges on ‘Possum Drop’ Agreement

Town ignores public outcry after opossum injured and forced to perform in 2018/19 event loses leg to infection

A gravely injured Possum Removal Sydney used in a cruel New Year’s Eve tradition held in Andrews, NC this year is recovering from having her leg amputated, and although she cannot be released back into the wild, “Millie” will live out her life in a wildlife sanctuary.

After discovering the opossum’s plight would be made public, Mayor James Reid negotiated and signed an agreement over the weekend with three wildlife advocacy organizations - The Opossum Pouch Sanctuary, Rescue and Rehabilitation; Animal Help Now; and Opossum Awareness & Advocacy. The agreement stipulated that the town would not hold anymore “possum drops” using live animals(Rat Catcher Sydney), at least for the duration of the mayor’s tenure, in tacit exchange for the coalition dropping its opposition to the activity.

The mayor, despite indicating he had developed an understanding that opossums are gentle animals and actually make very good neighbors, backed out of the agreement on Monday.

As part of the agreement, the mayor had promised to work with the organizations to help repeal the law passed by the North Carolina General Assembly that allows cruelty to opossums for a five-day period surrounding the New Year holiday. (You heard that right.) The legislation was passed at the behest of Clay County Commissioner Clay Logan, who makes money each year from these events.

With the town now backing out of the agreement, the organizations are going public with Millie’s story.

A “possum drop” involves:

capturing a wild opossum by any means necessary (including leghold traps, snares, hounds, etc.),keeping the opossum confined in a cage or crate or plexiglass box.

hoisting the animal into the air a few hours before midnight on December 31 (regardless of temperature or weather),allowing the animal to be suspended for several hours while surrounded by a noisy crowd, loud music and fireworks,haphazardly lowering the animal onto a stage during the raucous countdown at midnight,and then either releasing the damaged and distressed animal back into the wild or giving her to wildlife rehabilitators to mend back to health to the extent possible.

The anachronistic novelty act was created by Clay Logan in nearby Brasstown.

In Andrews this year, when a wildlife rehabilitator went backstage to take custody of the opossum just after midnight, she was met by a horrible odor that she knew to be an infection. The animal was taken to a veterinary clinic, where she received care including antibiotics, but her infection spread, and her left front leg was amputated Friday.

 According to attending veterinarian Dr. Eric McCurry, the opossum’s injury is consistent with the cutting off of a blood supply, such as by a leghold trap or a snare, and had led to a severe and spreading infection that could not be contained. Dr. McCurry said amputation was necessary to save the animal’s life.

 David Crawford, executive director of Animal Help Now, states, “This Possum In The Roof was only about nine months old when she was trapped. She was a shy little animal getting used to her first North Carolina winter when she was cruelly removed from her home and her mother for this so-called celebration.