Jerusalem ? An animal rights group on Wednesday criticized a program on a Hamas-run television station in which a man swings cats by their tails and throws stones at lions in a zoo to teach children not to abuse animals.

The segment on the children’s program “Tomorrow’s Pioneers” features one of the show’s characters, a man in a bee costume named Nahoul. It’s followed by a warning from the show’s young host that children should not imitate Nahoul’s behavior.

“They say this is supposed to be educational on how not to treat animals, but it is common knowledge that children will mimic the behavior they see,” said Martin Mersereau, spokesman for Norfolk, Va.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.