Stoning of kitten posted on social media

A Southland mum whose child was allegedly filmed stoning a kitten to death has said the behaviour was ‘‘unacceptable’’.

Video shows the kitten being flung on the ground before somebody off-camera throws a large chunk of stone or concrete on top of it. A girl then picks up the slab and throws it towards the kitten twice more, as the kitten tries to find shelter under a nearby flax bush.

Police said they had now identified the peoplebelieved to be behind the ‘‘disturbing’’ footage, who are aged between 11 and 16. Police had removed three further kittens for their safety.

The mother of one of the young people who allegedly appears in the video said she was disgusted by the actions of the children but ‘‘there’s nothing I can do about it now’’.

The kittens came from the property next door, she said.

Described as ‘‘one of the worst cases’’ of cruelty that Paw Justice, an animal welfare group, had seen, the video went viral after being posted on social media.

The mum said she hoped the attention served as a lesson to her child. She was unsure what would happen next.

Constable Christopher Wakelin said there was a joint investigation under way between the police, SPCA and the Southland District Council.

‘‘We recognise that the content of the video has been extremely upsetting for people across New Zealand. Our staff have also been sickened by the video,’’ he said.

‘‘The offenders will all be interviewed and referred to the Invercargill Youth Services team for appropriate action. We have also worked with the SPCA to remove three further kittens from the home of one of the offenders. Those kittens will be checked over and rehomed by the SPCA.’’

Due to there being young offenders involved, there was a set process to be adhered to in the investigation, Wakelin said. The SPCA was conducting an autopsy to ascertain the level of injury and the cause of death [of the kitten], he added.

SPCA South Island general manager Barry Helem said: ‘‘We have been to the property and removed the three kittens that were there, and the kitten from the video.

‘‘Apparently there was a wild cat that had a lot of kittens around that particular property, so one of them was the subject of what happened,’’ Helem said.

This kind of abuse was a rare occurrence in the community, Wakelin said.

Paw Justice posted the video on Facebook on December 12, after being sent it anonymously, and asked members of the public to help identify the offenders.

Paw Justice co-founder Craig Dunn described the footage as ‘‘one of the worst cases’’ of cruelty he had seen.

Veterinary professor of animal welfare Andrew Knight, who is also a member of Safe, called the video ‘‘an extreme case of cruelty’’.

More than 8000 people commented on the video online. But Netsafe chief executive Martin Cocker warned that exposing people online encouraged vigilante justice.