Man 'chews' possums in torture video
A man has been filmed "biting and chewing a possum" in one of a series of horrific videos of animal cruelty released by RSPCA Queensland on Tuesday.
There had been a slate of deliberate cruelty to possums in the past month, RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty said.
“These are very, very disturbing. The videos depict people deliberately torturing defenceless animals," he said.
"In one video a possum is dragged from a tree and then squeezed and slammed onto a wall before being hurled into the bush.
"In another, a live possum is wrapped in a net before being thrown to dogs that tear it to pieces and a third video shows a young man biting and chewing a possum before hurling it into the darkness."
Mr Beatty said he was unsure if cruelty to native wildlife was on the rise or if more people were reporting it.
“These are quite deliberate and premeditated acts of animal cruelty and show a complete lack of empathy.
"We’re urging anyone who has any information regarding incidents of cruelty to report them to the RSPCA or the police.
"All native animals are protected under the Nature Conservation Act and if they did shoot the possum then that is illegal and they can be prosecuted.”