A rural school in New Zealand recently held a fundraising gala, which included activities like a cupcake sale and a possum hunt followed by a contest to see how far children could throw the dead animals.

The principal of the school defended the tradition, saying that, for the rural community, the gala gave kids a chance to engage with the outdoors and gain "a greater understanding of what it means to be humane in the destruction of pests."

There is nothing humane about killing animals and playing a game with their carcasses. Ask the Colyton School to ban possum-tossing competitions from future school events and teach their students compassion toward animals.

Photo credit: joeszilagyi