Advertisement

Italian teacher sacked for killing two rabbits in class

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Italian teacher sacked for killing two rabbits in class
Italy's Court of Cassation ruled the teacher must be sacked for killing two rabbits in front of his class. Photo: Gabriel Buoys/AFP

Italy’s top court has ruled that a professor who killed two rabbits as part of a biology lesson must be sacked.

Advertisement

Professor Carlo Rando sparked outrage in 2010 when he brought four rabbits into the class at Milan’s Molinari technical college, killing the two who were still alive with a hammer in front of his horrified students.

The Court of Cassation upheld a 2013 ruling by an appeals court in Milan saying that he must be dismissed because of the “serious act of cruelty” and his “abnormal” behaviour, especially in the presence of minors, Il Messaggero reported.

The professor said he had bought the four rabbits, two alive, from a butcher, something the court also said was an “anomalous procedure for the purchase of laboratory animals”.

In a case that drew widespread condemnation from animal rights' groups, and also sparked debate in parliament, it also emerged that the teacher had performed blood tests on students.

The court said the teacher was “grossly negligent” for bringing material of “unclear origin” to the college and for performing blood tests on students in “bad hygienic conditions”, therefore risking their health.

He was also condemned for the bad publicity his acts had brought to the college.

In a similar case last year, parents and students at a school in Austria called for a biology teacher, who bred animals, to be fired after killing two rabbits in front of his class.

    

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also