Animal rights campaigners have blasted a school in New Zealand after it drowned baby possums in a bucket during an annual fundraiser.
Activists are now demanding an end to the country’s “barbaric” treatment of possums – which are considered to be a pest there.
The North Island school’s fundraising hunt involved shooting possum mothers in order to sell their fur and skins, while the joeys were drowned.
Jasmijn de Boo, chief executive of animal rights group Safe, said children were becoming desensitised to violence as a result of the possum hunts.
“It was clearly inhumane, it was appalling that children were witnessing this violence,” she said.
“We’re concerned this will spill over to New Zealand children becoming more desensitised to other sentient beings, as there is good evidence that people who hurt animals are more likely to perpetrate domestic violence or violence against humans so we need to really take this issue seriously.”
A petition calling for a ban on school possum hunts has more than 9,000 signatures and will be delivered to education minister Nikki Kaye when it reaches 10,000.
Possum hunting is a widespread practice among both amateurs and professionals on the North and South islands. The animals, introduced from Australia for the fur trade in 1837, have wreaked havoc on native forests.
“The conservation of birds is very important, and possums play a role in that but they have been demonised as pests for a long time,” added Ms de Boo.
“The word ‘pests’ is problematic because it insinuates they are worthless objects that can be treated without care – run over, beaten, whatever. We need to get back to the idea that all animals are sentient beings and they do not deserve a cruel death – even possums.”
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