MELBOURNE: A man who allegedly slit a kangaroo’s throat and uploaded disturbing video of the killing to social media has been charged in Australia with destroying protected wildlife, officials said Friday.
The video clip showed the man approaching an animal that appears to be wounded, talking to it in Mandarin then grabbing its tail and slashing its neck with a large knife.
The person filming it can be heard laughing.
Victoria state’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning said a 43-year-old man was arrested in Melbourne on Wednesday evening and charged with one count of destroying protected wildlife.
Firearms, knives and mobile phones was also seized.
“We take all alleged cases of animal cruelty very seriously,” said the department’s compliance operations manager Glenn Sharp.
“The wildlife offences captured in this video are particularly abhorrent.”
The man, who appeared in court on Thursday and was granted bail, faces a fine of up to Aus$38,000 (US$30,000) and up two years in jail.
Almost all native fauna, including kangaroos, are protected in Australia.
