San Antonio School District Ends Cat Dissections After Students Use Feline Guts To Skip Rope: Video

SAN ANTONIO, TX — Officials at a San Antonio school district have ended the practice of using cats for science class dissections after an uproar last year when students used the feline guts to jump rope to illustrate their length, a move for which People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals took credit on Tuesday.

"Nearly a year after PETA released shocking video footage of Winston Churchill High School students "jumping rope" with intestines pulled from dissected cats, the North East Independent School District has quietly ended cat dissection in all its schools," PETA officials announced in a news advisory. "This action, confirmed through public records, follows campaigning by PETA and an international public outcry over the video."

In a telephone interview with Patch, Northeast ISD spokeswoman confirmed the district has ended the practice of dissecting cats. But she categorized the move as more rooted in a review of school practices that took place in September rather than solely in reaction to PETA pressure.

"We will no longer dissect cats," the spokeswoman, Aubrey Chancellor, confirmed. "We formed a committee back in September, as we always review our protocol."

Animal dissection is still considered a valuable teaching tool, but associations people have with cats as domesticated pets prompted district officials to stop using them for dissections. In their place, minks will be used, Chancellor said. Other animals or animal parts that will continue to be used include pigs, frogs, cray fish and sheep eyes, she said.

"We do think that animal dissection is a valuable instructional tool that teachers should continue to have the choice of participating in," Chancellor said. "It's an authentic learning experience, and we believe it's important."

Outcry by animal advocates was sparked last May after cell phone video footage emerged showing students using the cat guts to jump rope under the approving eye of a science teacher. At the time, the explanation for the behavior was based on illustrating the sheer size of the intestines to the extent they could be used for a game of jump rope as well as the intestines' strength.

But Chancellor acknowledged the jump-rope demonstration wasn't exactly appropriate: "That shouldn't have happened in the first place," she said. "That isolated incident led to a larger discussion."

PETA officials condemned the jump-roping video as a callous display of disrespect toward other living animals, expressing, while taking a large measure of credit for the practice at Northeast ISD coming to an end.

"These gruesome 'jump rope' videos were a sad illustration of the callousness that classroom animal dissection can foster toward living beings," PETA Senior Director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns Marta Holmberg said in a prepared statement. "Ending cat dissection was an important first step, and PETA stands ready to help the district replace all dissection exercises with humane and effective tools that teach both anatomy and respect for life."

PETA officials said that every year in the U.S., an estimated 10 million animals are used for classroom dissection, "...including cats, who may have once been someone's companion." PETA officials added that "Frogs are often taken from their homes in the wild, and other animals—such as rats and mice—are bred by the millions in biological supply houses and killed specifically for classroom dissection."

PETA officials suggested the use of interactive computer programs to teach biology rather than animal dissection. They added that the National Science Teachers Association endorses the use of such computer toools, directing interested parties to PETA.org/Dissection for further information.

Below is the video showing students using cat intestines to jump rope in the classroom last year.

>>> Image via WikiMedia Commons