After protests, town will not do annual “opossum drop”

After nearly 30 years, a North Carolina town will no longer conduct their “opossum drop” on New Years Eve. Mayor James Reid of Andrews, North Carolina announced that the tradition will end after protests from around the world. Specifically, the animal rights group, PETA, denounced the tradition as inhumane after one of the animals was forced to have its leg amputated. There was even a petition going around that garnered around 160,000 signatures.

The state is also taking other measures to protect its wildlife. New trapping, fishing and hunting laws will be going into effect this month. There have always been certain regulations on what animals you can legally trap and what traps you can use to do so. Certain animals are listed as nuisance animals and can be trapped without a license.

For more information on opossums and trapping rules, visit Triangle Wildlife Removal & Pest Control, Inc.

North Carolina mayor declares town will end tradition of dropping opossum on New Year’s Eve

A North Carolina mayor has announced that his town will end the almost 30-year tradition of dropping a live opossum on New Year’s Eve, following mass protest after a marsupial was forced to have its leg amputated last year.

Mayor James Reid of Andrews, North Carolina, said he wanted to keep the sanctioned event but decided not to because his phone was plagued by protest calls. Learn more

Summary: After nearly 30 years, a North Carolina town will no longer conduct their “opossum drop” on New Years Eve. Mayor James Reid of Andrews, North Carolina announced that the tradition will end.

Changes for trapping licenses taking effect in January 2020

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) announced in a release several changes are taking effect at the beginning of the 2020 year.

Specific changes include:

  • All licenses that authorize inland fishing will now include the trout privilege.
  • All hunting and trapping licenses, with a few exceptions, will include the game lands privilege. Read more

Summary: New trapping and hunting laws will take effect this month in North Carolina. There have always been certain regulations on what animals you can legally trap and what traps you can use to do so.