The university where I grew up had an incident decades ago where some students thought it would be a funny “prank” to capture a beloved 40 year old koi fish that lived in the pond at the UC garden and then kill, grill, and eat it. Absolutely fucking deranged. The fish was beloved by literally the entire school and was a mascot of sorts in the horticulture department.

The lecturer, whose name has not been disclosed, reportedly killed the carp without using any stunning method, an action considered inhumane under both Polish animal protection regulations and the wider European context. The indictment follows an investigation prompted by concerns raised about the treatment of the carp during the educational demonstration. The case stirred controversy in Poland after a video taken by one of the students was made public in 2023 by the animal rights group Viva!

Animal protection advocates in Poland have welcomed the indictment as a step forward in recognising the sentience of all aquatic animals and the need for their legal protection. Viva wrote, “What is outrageous —  the university’s internal proceedings in this case found no irregularities in the lecturer’s behaviour, and after a period of suspension, she was reinstated. However, the veterinary student who recorded the killing of carp without stunning during the classes — first received threats that he would not finish his studies, and shortly after that, he failed one of the exams and was removed from the list of students.”