Cow cull game removed from Bristol museum

The interactive game at We The Curious in Bristol has been criticised by parents

An exhibit that invites children to test and cull cows infected by bovine tuberculosis has been removed from a science centre following complaints.

The game at We The Curious in Bristol has been criticised for not being appropriate for children by parents.

Lizzie Salter, who wrote to the centre, said the "frighteningly naive" activity was "outdated and unethical".

The centre said it had been temporarily removed after a review and visitor feedback.

The touch-screen Beat Bovine Tuberculosis game was installed in 2014.

It allows children to touch cows in a farmyard, test them for bovine TB and cull any infected animals.

Parent Lizzie Salter said it was an "awful excuse of a game" that desensitized children to "the fact that this is a living animal"

Ms Salter, from Weston-super-Mare, said it was an "awful excuse of a game" that desensitized children to "the fact that this is a living animal" and "made it a fun thing".

She said: "I don't think an interactive game where you win by culling an animal is particularly tasteful.

"It's actually quite a serious thing not only for a farmer who would be losing lots of money but from an ethical point of view where animals would be losing their lives."

Another person, who did not want to be named, said the exhibit was "horrible, especially for young children", while another said it was "promoting bad things to do to animals".

A spokeswoman for We The Curious said the exhibit, which also offered a vaccination option alongside culling, had been "intended to inspire debate".

She said: "We've taken the decision to temporarily remove it from the venue floor whilst we reassess current scientific evidence and look at design revisions for the exhibit.

"Following recent internal reviews and visitor feedback, we feel that the exhibit does not satisfactorily present clarity of evidence nor do justice to the complexity of the debate."