Australian teenager charged for allegedly punching helpless kangaroo in viral video

The kangaroo lies on the ground and appears incapable of moving as the teenager punches the poor creature.
The kangaroo lies on the ground and appears incapable of moving as the teenager punches the poor creature. Photo credit: Facebook.

An Australian man has been charged after video emerged of him allegedly punching a helpless kangaroo.

In the footage posted to Snapchat, an 18-year-old New South Wales man appears to box a kangaroo while another person is heard laughing in the background.

The marsupial lies on the ground and appears to be incapable of moving as the teenager endlessly punches the poor creature.

Various social media users have claimed the kangaroo, which later died, had a broken back. 

The video, which was shared on Facebook and believed to be filmed a year ago, was captioned "animals deserve justice".

According to police, the incident occurred at Woomargama National Park, south of Holbrook in southern NSW.

Police say an 18-year-old man contacted them about the video on Wednesday and was arrested at his home in Holbrook, before being taken to the local police station.

He was charged with committing an act of cruelty upon an animal and harm or attempt to harm a protected animal.

The teenager will be granted bail to appear at Holbrook Local Court on March 12, 2020. 

Another is also expected to be charged. 

The video has angered and disgusted the public. 

"You deserve to rot in hell you scummy piece of shit - I hope someone breaks your back and then keeps punching you in the face while you can't defend yourself! Animal or not you deserve nothing more than a grave!" said one person. 

Another person said, "I feel sick to the stomach with tears as I write this, I can't believe he got bail and the person filming should be charged. No one in their right mind does this, it's sick."