WICHITA, Kansas (AP) -- A sixth-grader stabbed to death a mother duck and two ducklings that had nested near a school, distressing the other children and alarming officials who said the boy needs mental health treatment.
Students at Wilbur Middle School had named the mother duck Lucy and were monitoring her and her brood, making sure no one disturbed the nest in a grassy creek bed. Their mutilated bodies -- stabbed with a pencil -- were found this week.
An announcement over the public address system led the boy to admit the killings, officials said. They said he had also talked about the act to classmates and didn't understand why it was wrong.
The boy, whose name was not released, was suspended Wednesday. His return to the school will hinge on a hearing.
School officials were responding "the way we do whenever we believe that a child might be a risk to himself or others," said Liz McGinness, who coordinates the district's mental health crisis team.
She said his parents were being told they must seek outside mental health care. "We really don't mince words on this," she said. "We know that animal cruelty is a very serious, significant behavior."
No decision has been made on possible criminal charges. Killing mallard ducks is illegal this time of year, and even in hunting season, the way they were killed would be illegal, officials said.
Mark Rankin, assistant director of law enforcement for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, said the boy may not be charged because of his age. A hunting violation charge could bring an adult up to seven days in jail and a $250 fine, while animal cruelty carries up to a year in jail and $10,000 in fines, he said.
Kris Meckenstock said his seventh-grade son helped monitor the nest and "just can't believe somebody could be so mean."
"By the same token, I think that kid obviously needs help," Meckenstock added. "My thought is, we need to look a little bit further and find out why somebody would have those tendencies."
Wilbur students and staff held a ceremony Thursday "to share their grief for these animals," McGinness said.
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Just imagine what he will do when he has legal age to buy weapons...
