JEONGEUP, South Korea – A South Korean teacher who ate a live hamster in front of students is under investigation for child abuse.

Rocket News 24 cites a report from Korea’s Maeil Business Newspaper about a teacher in South Korea who swallowed a live hamster in front his students, allegedly to teach them a lesson about animal rights.

The teacher “suddenly removed a hamster the class was keeping as a pet from a basket and stuck it in (his) mouth,” Rocket News reports. “After swallowing the still-living rodent, the teacher began swearing at students.”

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Conflicting reports from The Korea Times allege the 44-year-old teacher, identified only as Yu, worked at a boarding facility in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, where he actually chewed the hamster to death before swallowing it May 11. The news site contends the teacher resigned after his colleagues protested, but noted “some parents have claimed other teachers tried to cover up the incident and told the children not to tell anybody outside the facility.”

Students apparently told their parents about the traumatizing experience anyway, which spawned a police investigation, according The Daily Meal.

News reports allege the teacher attempted to defend his actions when confronted by authorities.

“I love mice. Usually I see mice stepped on and killed by children or abuse by them and I think they’ve misjudged the value of life. So this time I gathered my courage and swallowed a live hamster to attempt to convey in a special way the reason that we should cherish animal,” the teacher allegedly told police, according to Rocket News.

“Had I known this action would be considered child abuse, I absolutely would not have done it.”

The Korea Times, meanwhile, reports that the instructor told police he ate the animal in part because he is “afraid of rats” after he was bit by one as a child.

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Predictably, the bizarre episode sparked a lot of comments on Facebook.

“Something’s wrong with this guy,” Josh Lzk, of Singapore, posted about the teacher’s excuse for his actions. “That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.”

“I think this teacher should be locked up inside a padded cell as he’s obviously not mentally stable,” South Australian resident James Richardson commented.

Others were left with unanswered questions.

“What happened to the (hamster)?” Ademar Abiko Jr. wrote. “I mean, it was swallowed alive … it didn’t bite his stomach?”

Simon Anita wondered “How will animal cruelty teach children not to be cruel to animals?

“If anything, this just showed them that adults are crazy and why should they stop killing mice when the teach ate one alive?” Anita wrote.