Aussies have been left outraged after footage of a group of men laughing as they kicked and threw rocks at a defenceless kangaroo went viral online.
The group of men were seen repeatedly antagonising the kangaroo in the shocking clip believed to have been recorded in the Northern Territory and shared to Instagram by @crossthecreekboys in May.
At one point, one of the men lifted the kangaroo off the ground by its arms before slamming its head into the tow bar of a parked Nissan Patrol.
In another distressing moment, one of the men kicked the back of the kangaroo’s head while another stood on its tail.
Aussies Against Animal Abuse has reported the video, which has been removed from Instagram, to the police and animal welfare authorities.
‘We see a lot of heartbreaking videos and photos as part of our daily work, but watching these videos was beyond traumatising, it was hard not to be sickened to our stomachs,’ the group captioned the video.
Viewers were similarly troubled by the clip, with one woman describing the behaviour as ‘disgusting,’ adding the men ‘need to be punished’.
Animal cruelty is a criminal offence in the Northern Territory and can attract a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a fine of $37,000.
One of the group can be seen lifting the kangaroo by its arm before throwing it to the ground
A man is pictured standing on the kangaroo’s tail after another man threw a rock at its head
It includes ‘beating, abusing, torturing, injuring’ and ‘wounding’ an animal.
Aggravated animal cruelty, where the act results in the death or serious injury of an animal, can attract a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment or $92,500 fine.
A Department of Agriculture and Fisheries spokesperson confirmed its Animal Welfare Branch was investigating the incident.
The latest video follows several kangaroo cruelty incidents across Australia.
NSW man Michael Holmes was charged with aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly tying a live kangaroo to the back of his car and driving some 400m in April.
Holmes is expected to fight the charges when his case resumes in July after his lawyer entered not guilty pleas at Queanbeyan Local Court last month.
Separately, a 64-year-old man pleaded guilty to four charges of aggravated cruelty relating to the killing of 71 kangaroos on his Victorian property in 2021.
He was handed a $80,000 fine plus costs on Thursday after the judge found he had exceeded the conditions of his Authority to Control Wildlife.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services.
