Video Shows Man Repeatedly Punching Helpless Kangaroo In The Face

***WARNING: CONTAINS DISTRESSING FOOTAGE***

A video has emerged of a man brutally beating a helpless kangaroo in Australia.

In the footage - which was shared on Snapchat - a man can be seen repeatedly punching the kangaroo in the face while an accomplice laughs in the background.

The sickening video quickly went viral, with one person brandishing the man 'absolute scum of the Earth'.

A subsequent Facebook post claimed the perpetrators were two teenagers from New South Wales. The post claimed the pair had hit the kangaroo with their car, breaking its back, prior to recording the video.

An RSPCA New South Wales spokesperson confirmed it had received a report of animal cruelty towards a kangaroo in a town in the south of the region.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, they said: "We take all allegations of animal cruelty very seriously and this matter is currently under investigation.

"Everything that RSPCA NSW can do, which is appropriate and in accordance with the law, is being done.

"Privacy and legal considerations do not allow us to provide further information at this time.

"Anyone who has any further information to provide should contact RSPCA NSW on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 3589) or online via rspcansw.org/reportcruelty."

Snapchat

Police are also investigating the matter.

A New South Wales Police spokesperson told The Daily Mail: "Police are aware of videos circulating on social media regarding possible acts of animal cruelty.

"Police will not tolerate violence against animals in any capacity. The public are reminded not to report crime via social media."

The wildlife in the country has been devastated by bushfires over the course of the last month, with more than a billion animals thought to have perished as a result.

At the start of the month, a touching photograph was shared of a badly burnt kangaroo seeking help from a teenager in New South Wales.

In the picture, the teen can be seen pouring water on the young kangaroo and offering it a bowl to drink from.

Many species have been affected in Australia - which is home to various indigenous fauna including kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, possums, wombats and echidnas - but koalas are feared to be among the hardest hit, with an estimated 30 percent of just one koala colony on the country's northeast coast thought to have been lost by the end of December.

Topics: Viral, Animals, Australia

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey