A controversy is brewing at Columbus High School over the treatment of a baby raccoon.

“They started stepping and stomping on it, joking they’re tenderizing the animal,” Police Chief Danny Jackson. “They skinned that raccoon, cooked it and ate it.”

Some have described the incident, which occurred in October, as blatant animal cruelty.

It happened during a wildlife management class in which students were encouraged to harvest and prep wildlife to be cooked out back and consumed.

“From what I understand, they bring the animals in dead. But these two didn’t. They brought it in alive,” Jackson said.

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Jackson says they then beat the animal to death in front of stunned classmates.

According to the superintendent, it wasn’t supposed to happen that way. 

He said a substitute teacher was in the class that day and simply didn’t know any better.

“And with the substitute teacher there, they in essence had permission to process the animal there. Regrettably that happened. It won’t happen again,” Superintendent Randy Hoyer said.

Those assurances come too late for the students who witnessed the act.  Their complaints led police and wildlife officials to investigate.

But 11 News has learned there will be no criminal charges against the two students involved because most of the witnesses have said the animal died quickly.

“And so the suffering was minimal,” Jackson said.

Whether it was cruel or just an unfortunate mistake depends on who you ask.

“Basically everybody knows how to skin something, what’s the difference between a raccoon and a squirrel,” student Charles Palachic said.

“It was animal cruelty,” student Stephanie Zavala said.

The class is apparently part of a tradition at the school, where students learn how to prepare food in the wild, should they ever need to.