A student at the University of Texas at Dallas was convicted of animal cruelty in what one investigator called one of the worst cases of animal torture they've seen.

Shubhankar Kawle was found guilty of Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals - Torture, a 3rd Degree Felony, at a criminal jury trial that concluded Thursday, August 31 at the Hunt County Courthouse, 354th Judicial District Court.

He was sentenced to six and a half years in prison without probation and immediately taken into custody.

Kawle was found guilty for torturing at least two cats, one so extensively that the cat had to be euthanized.

According to a release from the SPCA, the investigation began in October 2021, when a Hunt County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched to a residence in Quinlan to investigate a complaint of animal cruelty. The complainant informed the Deputy that they had noticed their two cats being injured in odd and sometimes severe ways.

When one of the complainant’s cats was injured to the point of needing its leg amputated, they set up a nanny camera in their residence.

On Saturday, October 9, 2021, the camera recorded Kawle torturing the complainant’s other cat, Nimbus, over a period of five hours. This cat was ultimately euthanized due to her extensive injuries.

The investigation continued through October 14, during which investigators observed several signs of extreme abuse, including stains on the walls of the residence and a metal rod. They obtained radiographs and medical history from the vet clinic that had humanely euthanized the cat and determined that the cat’s injuries were consistent with the abuse seen on video footage.

On October 15, 2021, SPCA of Texas Chief Investigator Courtney Burns filed an arrest warrant for Kawle, who was arrested on October 20, 2021, by the University of Texas at Dallas Police, where he attended class. He was transported to Lew Sterrett Jail, where he was charged with Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals – Torture. He was released under a $50,000 bond.

The SPCA of Texas Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit provided testimony at the trial, where the video was played as evidence.

"Torturing an animal is inhumane and illegal, and what Mr. Kawle did to Nimbus was not only horrific and heartbreaking, but one of the single worst cases of animal torture I’ve seen in my career," said Chief Investigator Burns. "I'm pleased to see the perpetrator of this heinous crime brought to justice."

A 3rd Degree Felony in Texas carries a prison sentence of two to 10 years. Additionally, there is a documented link between animal cruelty and human violence. When animals are abused, people are at risk; when people are abused, animals are at risk.

The SPCA of Texas has a team of Animal Cruelty Investigators who carry Peace Officer commissions and have the authority to investigate, file charges and make arrests in cases of animal cruelty. The SPCA of Texas has Memoranda of Understanding to support animal cruelty investigations in Hunt and Van Zandt Counties.

In what is being hailed as a win for pigs, physicians, and patients, the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center has stopped using an inhumane technique.

According to a release, the medical center has curtailed the use of live pigs for invasive medical procedures in its OB/GYN residency-training programs, and has replaced them with animal-free methods.

Definitely a big win for pigs.

The institution discontinued the practice in response to overtures from PETA, as well as physicians.

PETA initially contacted UT Southwestern in 2021 as part of an ongoing survey of animal use in OB/GYN residency programs, and discovered that OB/GYN physician residents there routinely performed invasive procedures on live pigs, including laparoscopic hysterectomies, retroperitoneal dissections, and tissue morcellations, all described on the school’s website.

According to records obtained by PETA, residents performed invasive procedures on at least 13 live pigs.

PETA VP Shalin Gala thanked UT Southwestern for "ending its gruesome OB/GYN training methods in which live animals were mutilated" and making the more humane shift.

Beyond the cruelty aspect, pigs' anatomy is not the same as humans', and therefore a less effective way for physician residents to become familiar with human anatomical structures - versus animal-free methods which can simulate real medical situations, and provide students the opportunity to repeat procedures until they’re proficient.

In addition, federal provisions require that animal use be replaced when possible.

UT Southwestern joins dozens of OB/GYN residency programs across the country — including Rush University and Aurora Sinai Medical Center — in its use of animal-free methods such as in vitro systems, computer simulations, and high-fidelity human-patient simulators.

According to the release, there is still one notable slacker: Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. Whose director by the way is from El Paso. Come on, don't make the Class of 2024 have to mutilate live animals.

“PETA urges other institutions, including Oregon Health & Science University, to follow UT Southwestern’s lead by embracing superior, non-animal technology that allows OB/GYN trainees to repeat invasive procedures until they’re confident and adept,” PETA VP Gala says.

Pet owners of Little Elm are in line to get something valuable for free: Texas Coalition for Animal Protection (TCAP), Friends of the Little Elm Animal Shelter (FLEAS), and Hula Hut of Little Elm are partnering on an event to provide free microchips for cats and dogs.

Microchips are a method to identify your dog that is tamper-proof. A pet microchip is the size of a grain of rice, and goes beneath your pet's skin.

If pets get lost, a vet can check the microchip with a scanner. Radio waves put out by the scanner activate the chip. The chip transmits the ID number to the scanner, which displays the number on the screen. The pet can be reunited with its owner.

"Microchips work!" proclaims one DFW-area shelter, citing the latest example, stating, "Today we picked up a pug running stray. We scanned for a microchip and contacted the owner. Much to our dismay, Chato has been stolen from his owners months ago! We were so happy to be able to reunite these two!!"

The cost for a microchip from a vet clinic averages about $45 to $60. TCAP generally offers them at a discount price of $30. But thanks to funding from FLEAS and Hula Hut, microchips will be offered to Little Elm area pets for free. This offer includes the lifetime registration of the microchip via HomeAgain’s National Pet Recovery Database.

According to microchip manufacturer HomeAgain, one in three pets will go missing during their lifetime. Without proper ID, 90 percent won't return home.

This initiative, which will take place September 2 at the Little Elm Animal Shelter, aims to keep pets and their people together by subsidizing the cost of this service. It's from The Texas Coalition for Animal Protection (TCAP), a nonprofit that provides low-cost spay/neuter, vaccine, and wellness services to underserved communities across North Texas.

In addition to free microchipping, TCAP will offer low-cost vaccinations and wellness services for cats and dogs during the event. That includes a rabies vaccine for only $5.

"We are thrilled to partner with Friends of the Little Elm Animal Shelter to bring this special event to the community," says TCAP executive director Stacey Schumacher. "At TCAP, our mission is to end pet overpopulation and euthanasia. This event directly correlates to our mission by ensuring lost pets can return home and aren't euthanized in overloaded shelters."

When: September 2 from 10 am-12 pm.

Where: Little Elm Animal Shelter, at 1605 Mark Tree Ln.

In another sad case of animal cruelty in Dallas, a tiger was found confined in a backyard cage in southeast Dallas.

The tiger has been seized, along with a menagerie of other animals commonly used in illegal fighting rings.

According to a release from the Dallas Police Department, Dallas Police executed four search warrants in an animal cruelty investigation on August 25 in the 5700 block of Johnson Lane.

Police were initially investigating a rooster and dog-fighting operation. While executing one of the warrants in that investigation, they found the tiger in an enclosure on the property.

Officers also seized dogs, roosters, and chickens.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and Texas Parks And Wildlife Department are assisting in the investigation.

The Dallas Zoo and Dallas Animal Services are also assisting the department.

Charges are pending and the investigation is ongoing.

Unfortunately, Texas is stupid and allows residents to own lions and tigers, as long as they register their animals with local authorities and register with the Department of State Health and Human Services. They're also supposed to carry a minimum of $100,000 in liability insurance.

There are also caging requirements: Each tiger needs at least 300 square feet of space and an 8 foot fence. This cage must be covered but not if that enclosure is more than 1,000 square feet.

The 5700 block of Johnson Lane is outside Loop 12 but inside I-20, east of 342, west of I-45, in a backwater rural zone about a mile from Paul Quinn College.