A school teacher in the United States allegedly fed a live puppy to a turtle in front of his students - much to the horror of parents, who set up a petition urging him to get fired.
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I mean, teachers are known for pulling all kinds of stunts in front of their class to try to get students engaged in dull subjects - rapping to Shakespeare, that kind of thing.
But Robert Crosland, who is a science teacher at Preston Junior High School in Idaho, took things a little further than spitting bars about Hamlet while wearing a snapback cap.
The puppy that was thrown into the tank was apparently 'sick', but it was still alive when it met its grim demise.
Crosland has since been charged with a misdemeanour count of animal cruelty. If convicted, he could see jail time of up to six months, as well as a $5,000 (£3,750) fine.
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A petition was set up soon after word spread about the incident, with almost 190,000 supporters having already signed it.
It read: "Robert Crosland, a long-time science teacher at Preston Junior High School in Idaho, filled his classroom with turtles, snakes and other living creatures, much to his students' delight.
"Unfortunately, on March 7, he decided to feed one of those creatures - a snapping turtle to be exact - a puppy."
The petition referred to Crosland's stunt as 'sick' and 'disturbing', continuing: "According to the school district's superintendent, the incident happened after school hours, though a few students were present at that time.
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"A local animal activist reported the incident to police, leading to the launch of an investigation.
"Since then more details have emerged. The puppy was allegedly alive but sick when Crosland fed it to the turtle."
The final paragraph added: "This is an extreme example of extremely poor judgement. Even if the puppy was so sick it was eventually going to die, Crosland should not have fed it to a snapping turtle, especially while still alive. There are humane ways to deal with dying animals."
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"The event occurred well after students had been dismissed and was not a part of any school-directed program," Preston School District officials said in a March statement.
"We emphasise that at no time was the safety of students or staff compromised."
Snapping turtles eat both plants and animals in the wild, and have razor sharp beak-like mouths. They are often known to drag their prey - like insects, fish, frogs, snakes, birds, small mammals and even other turtles - beneath the water to drown it, or even to just bite the creature's head off.
According to the Idaho Statesman, Crosland's turtle was seized by officials and has since been euthanised.
Featured Image Credit: Franklin County Sheriff's OfficeTopics: News, Puppy, US News, Animals