A snapchat image which appears to show a fox cub being butchered with a knife (Picture: SWNS)

Students at a posh college have been expelled and suspended after allegedly butchering a fox, a badger and a cat in a contest to kill the biggest animal.

Police are investigating cruelty claims at Hartpury College after graphic footage of students stamping on a fox cub’s head and slitting its throat emerged.

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The ten-second clip sparked a backlash after it was posted on Snapchat by a female first-year with the caption: ‘Got the f*cker.’

Days earlier, a second-year student was branded ‘pure evil’ after a photo – which shows him grinning and holding a dead cat up by its tail went viral.




The pet apparently belonged to two employees who live on campus and had posted online saying it was found dead in a hedge, believing it had been hit by a car.

A photo which has been circulated on social media purporting to show a Hartpury collegeg student with a dead cat (Picture: SWNS)

Students at the college say the deaths were part of a sick competition to kill the largest animal – and post a photo on social media.

Badgers are also understood to have been butchered as part of the twisted ‘initiation’ ritual.

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Hartpury College said that one student has been expelled following the cat incident and that ‘students have been suspended’ over the fox death.

Facebook users branded the culprits ‘sub-human scumbags’ and called for an independent inquiry into the ‘vile’ behaviour.

One woman said she is ’embarrassed’ to be linked to Hartpury and accused the college of brushing the vile acts ‘under the carpet’.

She said: ‘We’ll wait for the next one while the students continue their competition for who can kill the biggest animal that the college are fully aware of.

‘Totally unacceptable. You have been given details of this sick game that the students are playing by both staff and students and have not supported any of your witnesses.

General view of Hartpury College in Gloucestershire (Picture: SWNS)

‘None of these individuals have had any real consequence and will go on to work in the animal industry. Really ashamed to have been associated with this college.

‘Not to mention that the owners of the cat in the first incident are both members of staff at the college and have had next to no support.’

Earlier this week, Gloucestershire Constabulary said it is satisfied that the incident involving the fox cub was not an act of animal cruelty.

‘The fox had been struck in a collision and the student, who is training to be a gamekeeper, acted to dispatch the animal to end its suffering,’ the force added.

Students criticised this, with one saying: ‘If the road traffic accident was caused by students how do we know it’s not part of their “game” like they did to the poor cat.

‘Slitting it’s throat, kicking and beating the animal is not putting it out of its misery it’s animal cruelty.

Hartpury College has acknowledged the incident (Picture: SWNS)

‘These students could have done the decent thing wrap the animal in something and taken it to the nearest vet.’



Hartpury College teaches degrees and A-levels as well as professional training in animal care, dog grooming, and equine studies.

A spokesman conceded that the video of the fox cub is ‘distressing and unacceptable’ and said students had been suspended from the college.

He added: ‘There have been suggestions that this incident is related to an earlier incident involving the death of a cat. We can confirm that the student involved in the earlier incident has been expelled from the college.

‘At this stage there is no evidence to suggest the incidents are related. We continue to work with both the Police and the RSPCA. These incidents do not, in any way, reflect the behaviours and beliefs of the college, our students, staff and graduates.’