Warning: Distressing Content
SnapchatPolice are hunting a boy who threw a terrified dog over a cliff into the sea after a video of the incident circulated online.
The shocking video shows a boy holding the dog, believed to be a spaniel, on the cliff edge as the dog squirms and clearly tries to escape his grip.
After throwing the dog over the edge, another person can be heard laughing as the dog flails helplessly in the air before hitting the water.
Warning: Distressing Content
Police in Falmouth, Cornwall, said they were looking into the case after footage of the incident got shared online.
A police spokesperson said, as per Cornwall Live:
Police are investigating a report of concern for the welfare of an animal in Falmouth on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 1.
This relates to a dog being thrown into the sea. The dog has been checked over and is uninjured. The investigation is ongoing and enquiries are continuing.
Falmouth Police also took to social media to ask people to let them carry out their investigation ‘without intrusion or inappropriate comments’ – after people took to social media to slam the suspect.
We are aware of an #incident of #animalcruelty which has been reported in #Falmouth This matter is being #investigated but please appreciate that we need to do this effectively without intrusion or inappropriate comments @piratefm @HeartCornNews @ThePacket @CornwallLive 603
— Falmouth Police (@FalmouthPolice) May 1, 2019
The police spokesperson continued, as per the publication:
We ask that people, including users of social media, do not speculate around the circumstances of this incident, or the individual involved.
We are aware of threats that have been made online would urge members of the public to leave this investigation with the police, and not to take the law into their own hands.
The dog can be seen desperately swimming to the shore in the video, which went viral on various social media platforms after it was filmed but has since been deleted.
Although initial reports online suggested the dog had to be put down after breaking its back during the fall, police confirmed the animal had been checked over and was uninjured.
SnapchatAn RSPCA spokesperson confirmed they had also been made aware of the ‘upsetting’ footage and assured people they were looking into it.
The spokesperson said, as per the Metro:
We have been made aware of some upsetting footage showing a dog being thrown off a cliff in Falmouth on May 1.
We are very concerned about this incident and would like to reassure people we are looking into it.
Police are doing everything they can to investigate this distressing incident.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).