Shocking act of ‘animal cruelty’

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A teenager was filmed throwing a kitten against the walls of a residential building in Muharraq, in a video that has drawn widespread public anger and triggered a police complaint by the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The video, shared widely online, shows the young cat being hurled repeatedly inside the stairwell of what appears to be a block of flats.

The teenager, whose identity remains unknown, is seen striking the animal without any visible provocation.

The Society responded by lodging a formal complaint with the police in Muharraq, urging an urgent investigation and calling for action to be taken against the boy shown in the footage.

Chairman Mahmood Faraj said the video documented clear abuse and called for the law to be applied in full, regardless of the boy’s age.

Basic decency

“What we saw goes against the grain of basic decency,” he said. “There must be consequences. Without that, there is every chance we’ll see more of the same.”

He also warned against brushing such behaviour aside.

“Turning away sends a message. And it’s the wrong one,” he added.

Calls for legal action were echoed by users on social media, many of whom posted messages of outrage beneath copies of the video.

Animal welfare campaigners described the clip as disturbing and urged a firm response from the authorities. The Society confirmed that it had handed over the footage to the police as part of its complaint.

Investigators are expected to try to establish the teenager’s identity and determine the circumstances of the incident.