On 18 May, police investigated instructor Yu, 44, at a rural South Korean boarding facility who bit a hamster to death and swallowed it in front of children to teach them how precious life is
The incident happened on May 11 at a boarding facility in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province.
After finding out that some children were teasing hamsters, Yu bit one to death and swallowed it to teach them "how dear life is," according to police. Seven children saw him eat the animal. Yu also used abusive language in front of the children.
Yu was reported to have gotten upset when he was unable to control his students so he decided to literally take life into his own hands. According to him, he wanted to teach the children that it was "wrong to make light of life". Also, he was afraid of rats.
He wanted to teach his pupils "how dear life is" after hearing they'd been teasing hamsters, according to reports.
"I couldn't control the situation and couldn't stand it," he was quoted as saying. "While watching the hamsters die from teasing, I thought I should teach the children it was wrong to make light of life," he said.
The instructor said he did so because he was "afraid of rats." Yu told Yonhap News Agency by phone that he had feared rats after being bitten while at elementary school.
He has since resigned from the boarding school due to protests by other instructors. He has also apologised for his actions to everyone involved, stating he would not have killed the hamster if he had known it was a form of child abuse.
He apologized to the children, parents and other instructors, saying he would not have killed the hamster if he had known it would be considered a form of child abuse. He left the facility when other teachers protested.
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Meanwhile, parents have filed a complaint with the police. Yu appeared at the Jeongeup Police Station to admit to the offence, where police booked him without physical detention.
The 44-year-old was cautioned by cops after furious parents complained. Some parents have alleged that the boarding school – in South Korea – tried to cover up the incident.
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However, parents also alleged that the school's instructors are trying to hide the incident by telling students to not tell anybody about it outside of the facility
Stories of animal abuse are not foreign in Malaysia. In 2014, nearly 100 malnourished and mistreated animals were discovered:
A blogpost published on 4 January 2015 exposes what is said to be the truth behind dog rescuer Puspa Rani, and how she allegedly raided a house to rescue abused dogs from a puppy mill. Here's a deep dive into the case.
Cover image via furrytalk.com
