Man charged over horrific video of kangaroo being punched
A man filmed repeatedly punching an injured kangaroo has been arrested and is facing multiple animal cruelty charges.
The footage sparked widespread outrage after surfacing online on Wednesday, with an 18-year-old man contacting police about 4pm and subsequently being arrested from his home in Holbrook, in southern NSW.
Police said the incident was understood to have taken place in the Woomargama National Park south of Holbrook, between Albury and Wagga Wagga, in late January last year.
The teenager was taken to Holbrook Police Station and charged with committing an act of cruelty on an animal and harming or attempting to harm a protected animal.
He was granted bail to appear at Holbrook Local Court on March 12, 2020.
Police said investigations were continuing and another person was expected to be charged.
Videos were initially filmed on Snapchat before later being shared to Facebook.
A post shared on a community Facebook group claimed the man hit the kangaroo with his car, resulting in the animal suffering a broken back, which meant it could not move.
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It said the man attacked the helpless animal for a “prolonged period”. The kangaroo later died, police said.
In another video supplied to Yahoo News Australia, the man wearing green shorts and a white top is seen hitting a kangaroo in the head, while it is lying on what appears to be grass.
“Police will not tolerate violence against animals in any capacity,” a police spokesperson said in a previous statement.
“The public are reminded not to report crime via social media.”
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