Young Boys Do Unthinkable To Pregnant Opossum Giving Birth, PETA Offers Fresh Criticism Of Local Law
A pregnant opossum in the process of giving birth was tortured and killed by a group of five boys, who “couldn’t have been older than 14,” according to one eyewitness.
According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is taking issue with a bill set forth that allowed a “Possum Drop” — similar to the famous NYC ball drop — to celebrate the New Year.
The bill proposed lifting all state laws on the protection and treatment of opossums from December 29 to January 2 so the Brasstown Ball Drop could happen within the restraints of law.
PETA President Ingrid Newkirk had some harsh words in lieu of the brutal attack that claimed the life of the pregnant opossum and her babies.
“Thanks to cruelty-to-animals laws, this group of boys will face legal repercussions for egregious cruelty to the opossum they allegedly beat with sticks and burned alive. However, these young people could have violently tortured wildlife without repercussion had these acts occurred within the five-day window set up by the North Carolina legislature for the New Year’s Eve Opossum Drop—an unprecedented move that exempts all opossums from legal protection. This vile case is proof that there’s never a justification for lifting the protections that animals badly need, least of all for the benefit of Opossum Drop organizers who stand to rake in cash on the back of an unlucky, vulnerable animal.”
On June 21, the Inquisitr brought you the sickening report about what the group of boys did to the pregnant opossum.
In case you missed it, High Point, North Carolina, resident Sara Kurtnacker walked out of her home to quite a gruesome site on Sunday, June 14. She reportedly caught a group of boys “bludgeoning” the animal. She stated that the animal was “beat to a pulp” during the horrific attack. She insists the most disturbing part was their level of enjoyment.
“I walked out and basically saw them bludgeon an opossum with bricks and stones,” Kurtnacker told Fox 8. “It was way beyond animal cruelty. It was just inhumane. They were having a ball doing it. If you can do that to an opossum, the next step is dogs, cats, moving up. You never know what area of the food chain they’re going to hit next.”
However, that’s not all. According to the police report, after brutally beating the opossum, the boys doused lighter fluid on the injured opossum’s mangled body and lit it on fire — while it was trying to give birth. The horrific scene became much more heart-wrenching when “several newborn babies began to come out of the female’s pouch.” It has also been reported that “the hairless babies succumbed from the attack.”
Two boys — a 12- and 13-year-old — were charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty for the attack, and police expect more to be charged soon.
[Lead image via Shutterstock]
Editor’s note: this story has been amended to include the full statement from Ingrid Newkirk and to clarify how the remarks had been represented.
