The administration of the UK’s Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has apologised to concerned vegans who earlier complained about a certain image featured in a naked calendar made by the college’s student body.
According to The Guardian, the photo in question depicted seven male students holding live sheep in front of them, using the technique called tipping which the British Cattle Veterinary Association described as "a standard handling mechanism in animal husbandry" which is "widely recognised as being safe and pain-free for the animals."
The Veterinary Vegan Network, however, declared in a now-deleted post on Facebook that the photo is “deeply disturbing,” and RVC noted that some of its students received “obscene, threatening and … illegal” comments following the post.
"No student is being blamed, individually or collectively, and we will work together to ensure these events do not happen again," said college principal Stuart Reid. "To those who have taken offence at the calendar, I apologise. It may have fallen short of the standards some expect in terms of animal welfare, but that responsibility is mine. The complaints and attacks should be directed to me and me alone."
A college spokeswoman also said that the students who were affected by this situation are going to receive support, and that the calendar will be published eventually, though she did not specify when.