Chinese graduate dropped from public service for killing cats

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - A top candidate for a government position in China’s southern Guilin city was disqualified by authorities after being found involved in a spate of cat poisonings as a university student, Sixth Tone magazine reported.

The candidate, surnamed Su, had topped the list for a role in community employment services at Tong’an Township Public Service Center in Guilin, southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

However, authorities, last week, revoked his recruitment qualification, announcing that he did not meet the moral character requirements for public service employment.

The investigation was launched last month, following a flurry of social media posts that connected Su to a notorious animal cruelty case from autumn last year, in which a number of stray cats were killed on the campus of Huazhong Agricultural University, in central China’s Hubei province.

Tong’an Township officials also acknowledged the identity match, saying their top candidate was indeed the university student who had been disciplined for cat poisoning.

The incident in question was first brought to Huazhong Agricultural University’s notice when students noticed stray cats dying mysteriously near the campus parking areas in October and November last year.

Investigation revealed that Su had been crushing up human medication and mixing it with water, placing it where he knew cats would drink.

The drugs caused respiratory failure in the animals.

Su's case was not an isolated one, as several applicants have faced similar consequences in recent years.

At least two students were barred from graduate school over prior animal cruelty incidents in 2023 and 2024.

Similar incidents were reported in the western Japan city of Kobe last year, where the headless bodies of five cats were found.

*Writing by Aamir Latif