Community | September 23, 2010 | 7 comments

New Zealand School Holds Possum Throwing Contest

source: http://gawker.com/5645598/new-zealand-school-holds-possum-throwing-contest

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Mcellie
Principal Colin Martin stated "Colyton School is about letting kids be kids" after it received criticism for having a 'throw a dead Possum contest'. Kids were allowed to shoot Possums, throw the bodies so the school could sell the pelts for fund-raising.

""Beyond the fund-raising that took place the real positives of this event were that children got to engage with the outdoors, learned that guns are tools and not toys and gained a greater understanding of what it means to be humane in the destruction of pests.

"They learnt that shooting is a far better death for a possum than traps or poison. This type of contextual learning is far more valuable than reading this stuff from books."-More from Principal Colin Martin via Gawker.

The hunt took place between 3rd and 12th September, with prizes to the 12 year old who brought back the most dead Possum.
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Indigenous,   Kids
  2. tags:
    Children,  School,  Guns,  New Zealand,  3 more
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7 comments // New Zealand School Holds Possum Throwing Contest

  • mitekillem
    • 0
      mitekillem  

    • I thought Possums were a protected species in Australia/New Zealand/New Guinea?
      Keep in mind they're not the Opossums you find here in the US, but a different species.

      If they're not protected in New Zealand, then I don't see the problem.
      If this were held in the Boy Scouts, people wouldn't be so cavalier about it.

    • 1 year ago
  • CalPal
  • CarolineS
    • 0
      CarolineS  

    • sick! people wouldnt think it was 'amazing' or 'unoffensive' if they held a 'throw a dead human contest' We are all life on this planet and those of you that can't grasp the importance of that don't deserve to exist on this earth.

    • 1 year ago
  • Uelthomas
    • 0
      Uelthomas  
    • CarolineS:

      Okay I get the "that's cruel" reaction, but this is New Zealand, home of a few flightless birds which are going extinct because of predators such as rats and possums which humans (I think I heard this somewhere) brought to the island at some point on boats. Therefore these animals are pests, I don't agree with the throwing bit but it's kids we are talking about they are going to play with anything despite the morality of the issue, at least it was supervised in a safe environment and pest control is an issue that education has to deal with in places with threatened eco-systems.

    • 1 year ago
  • eden49
    • 0
      eden49  

    • ...ahhh, the land of the long white cloud...would like to hear some comments from Maori Elders...they'd be shaking their heads in disgust...no wonder they're fleeing the country in droves...have some respect, Mister Martin, you galoot...

    • 1 year ago
  • Binary_Star
    • 0
      Binary_Star  

    • Let kids be kids, this isn't hurting or offending anyone, and it seems pretty damn fun. I wish my school did that when I was younger!

    • 1 year ago
  • imminent
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