Two Muscovy ducks living on Louisiana State University's campus were run over by a truck near East Fraternity Circle on September 16, according to an LSU Police Department report. The driver and his two passengers, all 18 years old, then reportedly took selfies with the dead animals before throwing them in a dumpster. Campus surveillance cameras caught the whole thing.

All three students were arrested and released on misdemeanor summons for violating Louisiana's animal cruelty law. A misdemeanor is the lightest charge on the books, and it does not reflect the cruelty caught on tape: killing two animals, posing for photos with the bodies, then discarding them like trash.

The East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's office should pursue these charges to the fullest extent the law allows, and LSU should hold its own students accountable through the university's conduct process, not just wait on the criminal case. This moment should also push Louisiana lawmakers to look at whether the penalties under LRS 14:102.1 are strong enough to actually deter this kind of behavior, instead of amounting to a summons and a court date.

Campus animals deserve protection, and deliberate, filmed cruelty deserves more than a slap on the wrist. Sign the petition to demand full prosecution, real university accountability, and stronger animal cruelty penalties in Louisiana before this happens again.