After posting the video, the university announced that the student had been expelled after receiving 14 letters accusing him of animal cruelty. “The incident was widely disseminated online and affected the reputation of the school,” said a statement read out by a university spokesperson. He also accused students of sharing obscene videos and skipping class.
A similar case of animal abuse surfaced a few days ago, this time involving a student who received the highest score on the graduate school entrance exam for Nanjing University’s nuclear physics course. At that time, netizens discovered that he had previously uploaded a video of him abusing a cat.
The university quickly responded to public concerns, announcing that the student had not been shortlisted because he had “failed ideological and moral evaluation.” A few days later, he was also not admitted to his second choice, Lanzhou University.
Some say Nanjing University has crossed the line by rejecting students based on “morality.” It also reflects what is most important in today’s education system: universities should not only focus on imparting knowledge, but also on instilling integrity and good values in young people. Some people said.
Up until now, even when incidents of animal abuse have come to light, no major action has been taken. In 2023, it was reported that internet food vlogger Jacques Latio tortured a cat for an hour, tied it to a tree, burned it, and stabbed it with a needle.
Police investigated the matter and detained him for causing a “negative impact on society,” and the video blogger later apologized, but there was no further punishment. Meanwhile, in the United States, those convicted of federal crimes of animal cruelty face stiff fines and, in some states, up to 10 years in prison.
Currently, there are no laws in China that directly prohibit animal cruelty. Lawyers say it’s difficult to define abuse and decide which animals should be included in the law. Currently, the only way for abusers to be punished is for the dog or cat owner to sue the abuser for damaging property. But in reality, most abusers chase stray animals to avoid legal liability.
03:09
Animal lovers battle illegal cat meat trade after losing beloved pet in China
Animal lovers battle illegal cat meat trade after losing beloved pet in China
One of the significant challenges in drafting animal cruelty laws is the lack of public agreement that this is a serious crime. There are still many people who believe that animals have fewer rights than humans. They may think animal cruelty is wrong, but they don’t believe people should be jailed for it.
However, punishing such abuse not only protects animals, but may also protect people in the future. Research shows that animal abuse can be an early warning sign that someone is committing serious crimes against a person, such as assault, murder, rape, partner abuse, and child abuse.
At the time, many were surprised that a long-standing “tradition” could be banned so easily, but from the government’s perspective, Shenzhen is a relatively new city with many young people opposed to the idea of eating dogs. is. Furthermore, it was necessary to ban this practice in the face of the urgent need to stop the spread of the pandemic.
When it comes to animal abuse, if enough people raise their concerns, the government may eventually take action.
Phoebe Chan is a social reporter for the Post.
