Warning: This article discusses animal abuse.
Young Taupō residents are disgusted after a group of teenagers abused a baby bird and posted the footage to Snapchat.
A series of short videos shows a young man tormenting the tiny animal, holding it up by one of its feet and throwing it into a box. He also pushes the bird around with a hockey stick and blows smoke into its face.
At one point he can be seen putting the bird in the oven and closing the door, although he is later seen taking it out again apparently unharmed.
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A young Taupō woman who wants to remain anonymous says she watched the videos on an acquaintance's Snapchat story on Sunday.
"It made me really upset," she told Newshub. "I cried and struggled to finish watching the video. It made me so angry."
She'd never seen someone post evidence of mistreating animals before, but is concerned it may be more widespread than she thought.
After she reposted the distressing footage to raise awareness of the abuse, she says her Snapchat "blew up" and she received countless responses from other young people in the community who were similarly outraged.
She knows the person who tormented the bird, as well as the one who filmed it.
"I'm not surprised [the abuser] did it," she says. "He's not a nice person at all. He has no respect for anyone. Someone who does that to an animal will do that to a human."
The young man in the video is 19, while his friend who filmed it is 17, she told Newshub.
She's not sure how they got their hands on the bird, but has heard they found the animal - which she thinks is a pet - near their flat and took it home with them.
She doesn't know what happened to the bird, but a screenshot of a friend's conversation with the alleged culprit indicates they took it back to where they found it.
His responses to being challenged also suggest little remorse for his actions.
"I feel like he doesn't realise what he's done," the young woman says. "When I messaged him he told me to get over it and grow up."
She provided the SPCA with the videos as well as the names and details of those involved, and has been told they're investigating the case. Newshub has approached the SPCA for confirmation.
The young woman hopes the culprits are held accountable, whether that means legal consequences or not.
"I hope this is a wake-up call not just for him, but for everyone. He's a bad person but even this is so low for him. It's really not okay."
Newshub.
