A viral video of two boys beating an injured deer that had been shot has prompted an investigation by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
In the video, which was reportedly filmed in Brookville, Pennsylvania, the boys can be seen kicking the buck in the face, ripping off its antlers and stepping on its throat, all while the animal is alive.
As the assault takes place, the boys can be heard laughing and asking each other if the deer is still alive.
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On Sunday, the video was uploaded to Facebook, where it was shared more than 8,000 times.
In response to the video, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has said it is “currently investigating the matter”.
World's most endangered animals
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2/17 Sumatran Elephant
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3/17 Yangtze Finless Porpoise
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The Sumatran orangutan was once found across the island of Sumatra and even further south on Java. Today it is found only in the island's north and its population stands at 14,613
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6/17 Western Lowland Gorilla
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7/17 Sumatran Rhinoceros
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9/17 Eastern Lowland Gorilla
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12/17 Saola
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13/17 Malayan Tiger
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16/17 Cross River Gorilla
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17/17 Bornean Orangutan
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1/17 Amur Leopard
Endemic to the far east of Russia, the Amur Leopard has a population of around 84 and is critically endangered. Here follows every species that the WWF lists as critically endangered.
Getty
2/17 Sumatran Elephant
The Sumatran elephant population now stands at only 2400-2800
Getty
3/17 Yangtze Finless Porpoise
Endemic to China's Yangtze River, the Yangtze finless porpoise has an estimated population of 1000-1800
Kenichi Nobusue
4/17 South China Tiger
When discovered in the 1950s, the South China tiger population was estimated to be 4000, by 1996 it was estimated to be only 30-80. Scientists consider the tiger to be "functionally extinct" as one has not been sighted for over 25 years
5/17 Sumatran Orangutan
The Sumatran orangutan was once found across the island of Sumatra and even further south on Java. Today it is found only in the island's north and its population stands at 14,613
Getty
6/17 Western Lowland Gorilla
Though it is the most populous of all gorilla subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is still critically endangered and its population has declined by 60% in the last quarter century
Getty
7/17 Sumatran Rhinoceros
The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the surviving rhinoceros species. Only 80 are known to be living today. The last male Sumatran rhino in Malaysia died on 28 May 2019
Willem V Strien
8/17 Sumatran Tiger
There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left today. They are severely threatened by deforestation and poaching
Getty
9/17 Eastern Lowland Gorilla
Half of the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo in which these gorillas live has been destroyed the past 50 years. There were 17,000 Eastern Lowland gorillas in the 1990s but scientists estimate their population has declined by over 50% since then
Getty
10/17 Vaquita
The world's rarest marine animal has a population of only 30. They were discovered in 1958 and are endemic to Mexico's Gulf of California
Paula Olson / NOAA
11/17 Javan Rhino
The most threatened of all rhino species, there are only an estimated 58-68 Javan rhinos left
Reuters
12/17 Saola
The saola was first sighted in 1992, being the first large mammal to be discovered in over 50 years. Scientists have only sighted saola in the wild four times and it is considered critically endangered
13/17 Malayan Tiger
The Malayan Tiger population now stands at only 250-300
Getty
14/17 Hawksbill Turtle
The population of the Hawksbill Turtle has declined by more than 80% in the last century. They are threatened by black market poachers who kill them for their shell
Getty
15/17 Black Rhino
The population of the black rhino dropped by 98% in the years 1960-1995 due to poaching, it stands today at around 5000
Getty
16/17 Cross River Gorilla
The population of the Cross River gorilla has been damaged by deforestation and poaching, it now stands at 200-300
Julie Langford
17/17 Bornean Orangutan
The population of the Bornean orangutan has been reduced by over 50% in the past 60 years, now standing at around 104,700. Their habitat has been reduced by at least 50% in the 21st century
Getty
“The Pennsylvania Game Commission is aware of a video purporting to show individuals assaulting an injured deer,” the state agency wrote on social media. “The conduct portrayed in the video is reprehensible and potentially a violation of the law.”
The agency also asked that anyone with information related to the incident report it to the Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-888–PGC-8001 or the Game Commission’s Northwest Region Dispatch Office at 814-432-3187.
Last week, President Trump signed a bipartisan bill that makes animal cruelty a federal crime punishable with fines and up to seven years in prison. Laws in all 50 states already include felony provisions for animal cruelty, but the new bill would help prosecutors address cases of animal abuse across state lines, according to animal rights groups.
The bill does not apply to people who kill animals for food or to those who hunt, trap and fish, however.
The Independent has contacted the Pennsylvania Game Commission for comment.
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