A group of New Plymouth teens who bludgeoned a possum to death with a hammer in their school gym under the direction of their teacher could face fines of up to $25,000.
The incident on Tuesday was videoed on a mobile phone by a foreign exchange student, who was one of several year 13 pupils who witnessed the killing, the Taranaki Daily News reported.
Spotswood College principal Graeme McFadyen said the incident was "disappointing".
"It should have been handled in a different way, in hindsight," he told the paper.
He said the school had been having problems with possums and had contacted the SPCA but did not get much help.
An animal protection group said the action could attract a prison term of up to three months or a fine of up to $25,000.
Taranaki-King Country MP Shane Ardern is backing the teacher and said the incident had been blown out of all proportion.
He said it was common practice all over New Zealand to get rid of possums in that way.
However, SPCA spokeswoman Vanessa Gee said the school could have called them or pest control to deal with the problem. The SPCA is investigating the incident.
- NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB
Teacher told teens to bash possum to death
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