RALEIGH, N.C. (February 6, 2013)--A bill introduced by a bipartisan group of North Carolina state lawmakers would allow the traditional New Year's Eve Possum Drop to use a live animal.
The animal rights group PETA had sued to stop the practice, alleging the state Wildlife Resources Commission didn't have the authority to grant a permit for trapping a wild opossum for the event.
The possums are released after they’re gently lowered in a clear box on New Year’s Eve, an event that draws thousands to tiny Brasstown, in the far western tip of North Carolina.
