Allegations came to the fore in June 2017 that students at a top agricultural college in the UK enjoyed a game to kill the largest animal.

It was claimed that students set up a macabre and cruel game or competition at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire. The challenge was to kill the largest animal. It appears that the competition was conducted under the noses of the college administrators and staff but without their knowledge.

The students sick behaviour came to light and a student was expelled and another suspended. There were photos and videos published on social media. In one photograph (see below) a student is seen holding a dead tabby cat. My research indicates that the cat belonged to a teacher at the college who had thought the cat had gone missing.

In a video a student was filmed cutting the throat of a fox cub. This was deemed legal as the cub had been involved in a traffic accident we are told. Barn owl boxes on farmland leased from the college were destroyed but we don’t know by whom.

The alleged games were particularly obnoxious because some of these students would go on to work with animals. How could they be suitable?

At the time, now more than six months ago, the college stated that they were following their disciplinary procedures and that “further action will be taken once our investigations are concluded”.

Jumping forward to the present, a Facebook post (see above) on Rabbi Simon Jacob Day’s page on ending animal abuse states that the college let their students get away with their alleged crimes.

Jacob Day states that the photo of the student holding the cat is a 2 year student and that he was allowed to complete his course from home. It is not clear but he may have been the suspended student who subsequently was allowed to quietly continue with his studies.

The point that Rabbi Simon is making is that people should not accept this sort of behaviour passively but complain and make some noise as it is the only way to gradually eradicate animal cruelty. Well, this is what I am doing.