For Immediate Release:
March 13, 2018
Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382
Twin Falls, Idaho – Below, please find a statement from PETA Senior Director of Cruelty Casework Stephanie Bell in response to reports that a junior high teacher who fed a live puppy to a snapping turtle.
PETA has learned that witnesses, including students, reportedly watched this teacher place a live puppy into a tank with a snapping turtle, who attacked and nearly cut the dog in half, as the animal screamed. This teacher—who is allegedly known for feeding guinea pigs to reptiles during lessons—is a bully who should not be allowed near impressionable young people. Any youngster who witnessed cruelty in the classroom is now in desperate need of lessons about having empathy for other living beings.
We understand that the case has been forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for a review of potential criminal charges, and TeachKind—PETA’s humane education division—is urging the school district to take this incident just as seriously.
PETA’s motto reads that “animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way.”
