Picture Of Opossum

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30426, 28 April 1964, Page 12

Picture Of Opossum

Sir, —Surely your photograph of an opossum on a pole, with the caption,. “Lofty Predicament” (presumably meant to be humorous)', must have .sickened most of your readers. Animals are at the mercy of the callous and the cruel. Such a.one must yojir photographer have been, that he found only humour in the little creature’s “predicament.” Where, was his compassion, that he did nothing to help the tbrriBed animal? Reform waits upon public opinion. It is your duty, with your powerful weapon' of publicity, to help mould that public opinion in the struggle for fair treatment and justice . and mercy for animals. -When will man learn that the earth is not made for his benefit alone, and that there is a whole world of creatures who inhabit the world also. When these unfortunate creatures get in man’s way, it is his moral obligation to treat them humanely and with mercy:—Yours, etc., (MISS) H. THOMPSON; April 27, 1964.

.Sir, —1 can appreciate a “front-page story and photograph” of any form of wildlife being rescued, but to leave an opossum on top of a. pole for 36 hours with a dog waiting at the foot, does not require to be photographed and cannot bring pleasure to anyone. Perhaps some day this same photographer may be in a similar position with a wild bull waiting to charge. Someone will probably rescue him. An act of kindness would have been to have found someone

with a gun—if the desire was to destroy.—Yours, etc,, N. E. FINN. ■ April 26, 1964.

Sir, —The picture of an opossum up a pole was surely one of the most revolting exhibitions of cruetly. Nature being what it is, no-one could blame the dog; but were thei;e no sportsmen in the area sufficiently skilled ■to shoot the trapped animal and so put. it out of its misery, before 36 hours had passed?—Yours, etc., E. D. WOOSTER. Darfield, April 24,. 1964.

Sir, —One realises that animals must be controlled when they reach pest proportion’s, but .the bare end result cbuld have . been achieved in this case by a. quick and merciful shot, instead of 36 hours of terror and cramp, thirst and hunger. 1 am tempted to write my views on the perpetrator, but that would take more than your permissible number of words.—Yours, etc., C. April 24, 1964.