Texas: Students jumping rope with cat intestines was "part of lesson", school district insists

TEXAS -- A Texas school district says no one will face punishment after video surfaced of high school students using a cat's intestines as a jump rope during a lesson.

Officials with the North East Independent School District told KENS-TV the incident happened earlier this month during an anatomy class at Winston Churchill High School.

 

The district said the teacher felt the lesson was "effective" for demonstrating how long and tough intestines are.

"This lesson really was not meant to be disrespectful or degrading in any way. And when the teacher found out that that's how it was being portrayed, they were actually very upset about it," spokeswoman Aubrey Chancellor said.

Chancellor said neither the students nor teacher will be punished because there is no "ill will." But she says the district will update the lesson plan.

Animals rights group PETA told the TV station the school should replace "cruel and crude" dissection methods with animal-free lessons.

(abc13 - May 19, 2016)

Activists release dogs from lab in Brazil

BRAZIL -- Animal rights activist Saturday clashed with police in front of a laboratory in southeastern Brazil that [tortures] dogs for drug tests.

The clash came one day after activists broke into the Instituto Royal laboratory in Sao Roque and released 178 beagles being used to test for adverse effects of drugs manufactured by the pharmaceutical industry.

Officer Edivaldo Nunes of the Sao Roque police department said by telephone that about 500 activists tried to break through barriers set up in front of the laboratory following Friday's break-in.

He said several members of the so-called Black Block anarchist group were among the protesters.

"They hurled rocks and set fire to a police car and to two cars of a local television station," Nunes said, adding that police responded with tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. He did not know if anyone was hurt or arrested.

These photos are representative of Beagles used in labs around the world.

Beagle dogs are often experimented on in laboratories
because they are docile and easy to handle.

Nunes said that "a large group of activists shouting 'save the dogs' stormed the lab early Friday morning and drove away with the animals.

He said none of the dogs have been recovered.

(KHON2 - Oct 22, 2013)