Student punished for allegedly torturing cat at university

A student at China's Jiliang University in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has been punished after being accused of torturing and killing a dozen cats, according to local authorities.

Multiple reports from netizens on the Zhejiang government's online complaint platform accuse the student, surnamed Yuan, of poisoning, torturing and killing cats on university campuses. Reports indicate that Yuan poisoned cats at night on the campuses of China's Jiliang University and the neighboring Zhejiang Scientific University from April 10 to 27. He allegedly kept the poisoned cats in a room for five days, causing a foul smell of death. animals.

Yuan reportedly spoke about his actions on an online forum, writing: “I was the one who poisoned the cats, what can you do? I drowned them. I watched the videos of them convulsing every night, and it’s great.” He also asked for advice online on how to make poison.

In response to online reports, China's Jiliang University announced on Sunday that it had investigated and punished the student in accordance with law and regulations. The university did not specify the details of the sanction.

Cases of students punished for torturing animals have recently increased. In April, a student at Jiangxi Normal University was expelled after videos and photos surfaced showing him repeatedly torturing a pet cat in his dormitory. The student was also found to have posted obscene videos online and was frequently absent from classes.

In another case, videos posted by a student named Xu, showing him torturing, killing and cooking three cats, sparked furious criticism online. Xu was not admitted to Nanjing University for postgraduate study, although he ranked first among all applicants. The university cited his failure in the admissions interview as the reason. Lanzhou University also refused to admit Xu after a large number of netizens urged the university to reject his application, saying academic grades are not the only criterion for admission.

Wang Wenda, director of student psychological health education at Xinhua College of Ningxia University, said the root cause of such behavior is often an inability to deal with negative emotions, with some perpetrators themselves having been victims of abuse.

“Simply expelling the students cannot solve the problem and could bring greater danger to society,” Wang said. “They could harm not only animals but also people if they don’t get the proper advice and help.” He stressed the importance of psychological counseling, noting that colleges provide free psychological services and that students should seek help regularly.

Lu Xiaohua, professor of psychology and deputy director of the psychological education center at Beijing Jiaotong University, added that hurting animals reflects deep psychological distress and anger. Students who engage in such behavior may have been victims of bullying or trauma and may not have healthy outlets to express their emotions.

“Although the law does not specify punishment for their behavior, from a moral point of view, they must face the consequences of what they did,” Lu said. She also stressed the need for psychological support for students suffering from various psychological problems who attacked other students and teachers.