University of Alabama authorities are investigating a case of possible animal cruelty after Old Row Alabama, a popular account on Instagram, posted a video showing two men laughing as one of them holds a duck by the neck.
The main person in the video jerks the a duck by its neck as he speaks. The caption for the video reads, “First cookout ducks and next we’re catching quad squirrels.”
Chris Bryant, assistant director from the University’s office of media relations, said the University was made aware of the video Wednesday morning.
“The University takes animal abuse allegations seriously,” Bryant said. “Law enforcement is investigating. Criminal and/or student conduct violations will be acted upon as appropriate.”
According to the Student Code of Conduct, Article III, Section D, “Any student found to have committed one or more of the following acts of misconduct is subject to the disciplinary sanctions.” Number 16 of section D is, “Acts of animal cruelty or abuse as well as a failure to report such acts.”
The procedure after an offense begins with a complaint, then is followed by an investigation. If the investigation proves the complaint is justified there will be a hearing for the offenders and appropriate sanctions listed in the code of conduct.
The Instagram post names the animal as a “cookout duck,” but it is difficult to distinguish where the students are in the video. Though the act could have possibly occurred off-campus, the city of Tuscaloosa also forbids actions of animal cruelty.
According to the City of Tuscaloosa’s Municipal Code, Article I, Section 4-7 states, “It shall be unlawful to commit an act of animal cruelty upon any animal in the city or police jurisdiction. An ‘act of animal cruelty’ shall be defined as to torture, torment, mutilate, kill or injure without good cause, override, overload, confine in a vehicle in warm weather or intentionally abandon an animal, or to fail to provide the necessary food, water and shelter.”
This Instagram post is the third social media issue for the University since January. The other two videos were young women saying racial slurs. Both students from those videos are no longer enrolled at the University.
