Dead Possums in Outfits Stir Controversy - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.

Children at a school in New Zealand are playing dress up with dead possums. The best dressed possum competition is drawing scrutiny from people on the internet and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after pictures of the possums were posted on the local Taranaki news website. The animals were dressed up in a variety of costumes including a wedding gown, a boxer, a painter, and some in bikinis. Spokesperson for the SPCA Jackie Poles-Smith told the Independent: “Animals deserve respect, whether they're wild, domestic or pets. We encourage empathy for all animals, even when they're dead.”

Teachers say the fundraiser was a success earning over 4 thousand pounds for the school. The principal of the school said that they are not teaching kids a bad lesson about how to treat animals, saying that we dress humans up after they die too. The bush-tailed possum is native to Australia, but it is an invasive pest in New Zealand that threatens the kiwi bird.