Photo Insensitive to Opossum’s Plight

Last week, you published a photograph of a worker setting a sizable brush fire in an area of the Sepulveda Basin as part of a brush-control program. In this photograph was an opossum who was, quite literally, running for his life! The caption was quite cavalier about this drama, however, and was almost Disneyesque as it merely observed in so many words that “this possum was running to get out of the way.”

My, my! Oh, how cute! Gee, golly! Isn’t that precious! Now, what about the little baby possums that were probably incinerated along with any other creatures unable to get out of there in time? Without bothering to debate whether there are more sensible brush-control measures in a wildlife area, let’s just remind you that this basin is home to many little creatures, and any fire is sheer terror to them! The opossum for example, like all of his kind, never shows himself in public unless he is motivated by hunger or fear for his life!

The bottom line here is to point out the callous insensitivity of whoever published and captioned that pitiful photo. Next time, let’s show some extreme close shots of terror-stricken people jumping out of a burning building. Shame on all of you!

RICHARD R. McCURDY

Sherman Oaks