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Video shows possum given a joint through window

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: A disturbing video of a possum being given what looks like a marijuana cigarette has been posted on reddit.

In the video, an Australian native brushtail possum is perched on a window while two men hold a joint to the possum’s face and light it.

The possum gasps and shrieks, before bolting while those in the background laugh.

The video shows a brushtail possum in a window as two men hold the joint near its face.
The possum freezes, stunned by the bright light, as the joint is lit in front of its face. Source: Reddit

Wildlife Information Rescue & Education Service (WIRES) condemned the video, saying that the possum seemed frozen in fear and “disoriented by the bright lights,”

“It is sad that the faceless people in the video find it amusing to harass a defenceless animal,” a WIRES spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.

WIRES added that the men in the video could face criminal charges as all native Australian animals are protected by law.

The possum shrieking after a cigarette was placed in its face in a video shared on Reddit.
The brushtail possum shrieks after the cigarette was placed in its face. Source: Reddit

The RSPCA is investigating the video and warned that interacting inappropriately with wildlife is risky for both animals and humans.

“The incident in the video had the potential to escalate and cause undue harm to all involved, and we greatly discourage the immature and dangerous behaviour of this nature.”

Video of the cruel stunt went viral and has since been removed from reddit.

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