Australian teenagers charged with cruelty for killing kangaroos

Sydney, Australia, Oct 12 (EFE).- Australian police on Tuesday charged two adolescents with animal cruelty for allegedly killing 14 kangaroos, two of them joeys, close to the coastal city of Batemans Bay, around 200 kms (140 miles) south of Sydney.

New South Wales police said in a statement that on Monday it had arrested the two boys, aged 17, with a hearing set for Nov. 22 over the alleged crimes that carry a maximum punishment of five years in prison and over $16,000 in fines.

The incident came to light on Saturday when the police responded to a call reporting the dead animals being sighted at the Long beach, where the remains of five kangaroos and a joey were found.

Soon after, authorities found the corpses of seven other kangaroos and another joey at the nearby Maloney’s beach, apart from another injured joey which was transferred to the Wires wildlife rescue and care center.

The surviving joey, a female that was named Hope, is recovering.

“It is a tragic and senseless act that has left an indelible mark on our dedicated Mid South Coast (New South Wales) branch volunteers who attended the scene, as well as the local residents,” Wires said in a Facebook post.

In 2018, an Australian court had separately sentenced two locals to prison terms for stabbing a kangaroo in an attack that was filmed and shared on social media. EFE

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