Rat ‘tied up as punishment’ for eating food from shop

BEIJING: Animal cruelty was taken to a new level in a Chinese city where a rat was ‘tied up and shamed’ after it was caught eating rice from a corner shop.

The rodent was caught by the man who runs the shop in Heyuan City, in southern China.

Yellow notes were also hung around the animal’s body, with one saying: ‘I am only capable of so much. Even if you beat me to death, I will never admit that I stole your rice.’

In the next photo, the rat seems to have changed its stance following what is assumed to be a period of physical torture, saying: ‘I swear I’ll never do it again!’

Reports didn’t confirm whether the rat survived after the punishment.