Are dead animal displays a good way to discourage animal cruelty?

[The "It" Parade.]

Are dead animal displays a good way to discourage animal cruelty?

A mouse that died after being attached to a firework on New Year's Eve is now on display in a Dutch museum.

Museum officials hope the mouse display will help discourage cruelty to animals.

Astromuis, as the Dutch media have taken to calling it, was unveiled Thursday at the Natuurmuseum in Friesland, in the northern part of the country, the Telegraph reported. 

He is stuffed and mounted in what is meant to be a "triumphant position," surrounded by firework rockets, according to reporter Bruno Waterfield.

Astromuis died Jan. 6 after suffering burns to his stomach and paws, Waterfield reported.

Police have arrested two men, both 20, in connection with the mouse's mistreatment.

Animal cruelty is a serious issue in the Netherlands, which scored poorly in studies by the animal rights group Dierenhulp.

The Natuurmuseum also features a sparrow that was shot in 2005 after flying into an 18-million domino display set up to break a world record. (It knocked down just 23,000 of them.) 

A second sparrow, also in the museum, was killed by a high-speed tennis serve in 1996, the Telegraph said.

[Sharron Woodward]

I think the examples given are not going to discourage animal cruelty. Stuffed animals in museums &/or under glass are usually clean & presented nicely. They do not represent the truth about cruelty

[Carolyn Bailey]

The disrespectful use of "it" to describe these individuals is disturbing to me, and makes me think these displays may not be as respectful as they could be. 

I think that displays of dead individuals can be incredibly powerful and send a positive message, if done in the way Igualdad Animal do so, but I'm with Sharron, I don't think these displays are very helpful in teaching respect and dignity toward other animals.