A mother opossum carries her babies on her back as she makes her way back to her den after a night out in a neighborhood on the far eastside of Indianapolis, Friday, May 12, 2000. (AP Photo/John Harrell)BRASSTOWN, NC (AP) -
The organizer of an annual Possum Drop in western North Carolina is remaining cagey on whether he'll use a live specimen to ring in 2013.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed suit earlier this year against the state Wildlife Resources Commission, which had for years issued a permit to country store owner Clay Logan to trap an opossum.
A judge ruled last month that it is improper for the state to issue such a permit.
Logan's New Year's Eve celebration draws thousands to tiny Brasstown, where the nocturnal marsupial is hoisted high in a see-through box adorned with tinsel before being gently lowered at midnight.
Logan said last week he might use road kill or a stuffed animal, but he also hinted he might defy the court's order.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
