A Chinese university student got revenge on a rat that had apparently eaten his pet turtle by crucifying it on a cross.

Pictures showing the rodent being tied to the wooden cross with its front legs either side of its carcass and displayed on the university's campus have emerged online.

The incident has caused widespread anger on the Chinese social media platform with users expressing their outrage over the cruel treatment towards the animal.

A rat was reportedly tied to a wooden cross and crucified on a university campus in China. A spokesperson from the school in Guangxi Province said the rodent had eaten a pet turtle

The incident happened at Guangxi Arts Institute in Nanning, capital of China's southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on January 6, according to posts on Twitter-like Weibo.

One post said on Sunday that the tied-up rat was publicly shamed next to a pond on campus.

Another post claimed on Monday that the rodent was displayed for one day before being burnt.

It remains unclear whether or not the rat was alive while being burnt.

The student, who lost his turtle, was so angry he tortured the animal for a day before reportedly burning it. It remains unclear whether or not the rat was alive while being burnt

A university spokesman confirmed the online claims to Chinese news site btime.com.

The spokesman said the rat had eaten a student's pet turtle.

He added: '[The rat's remains] have been dealt with. We have brought him in for a talk. We've criticised him for the poor behaviour.'

Social media were not slow in voicing their opinions.

One user said: 'Burning it is cruel, isn't it? The rat ate the turtle, but surely it's too cruel to burn it?'

While another commentator condemned: 'You can kill it, but don't torture it.'