Humane Education Kits Rushed to Launceston Schools After Local Teens Kill Hedgehog

For Immediate Release:

20 July 2017

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 222; [email protected]

HUMANE EDUCATION KITS RUSHED TO LAUNCESTON SCHOOLS AFTER LOCAL TEENS KILL HEDGEHOG

PETA Warns That Animal Abusers Are Likely to Escalate Behaviour Unless Stopped

Launceston, Cornwall – After hearing that a group of teenagers in Launceston filmed themselves kicking a hedgehog to death, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is rushing emergency humane education materials to primary schools in the area to prevent future instances of violence. According to reports, the teenagers bragged in the video that this was the third hedgehog they had killed this year.

PETA’s educational materials are designed to help children of all ages recognise the importance of compassion and empathy for all living beings. The charity’s letters to the schools also point out that experts in mental health and law enforcement consider the callous disregard for life and desensitisation to suffering evidenced by all forms of cruelty to animals to be red flags for other kinds of violence. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation uses reports of crimes against animals to analyse the threat potential of suspected and known criminals. Experts agree that it is the severity of the behaviour – not the species of the victim – that matters.

“PETA wants to prevent any further acts of cruelty,” says PETA Director Elisa Allen. “Instilling empathy in children and teaching them to respect others, human and non-human, is vital. The safety of the whole community depends on it.”

PETA’s letters to the schools are available upon request. For more information about the link between cruelty to animals and violence towards humans – or to order a free humane education pack – please visit PETA.org.uk.

#