Police are investigating a sickening video showing a kitten being bludgeoned to death with a rock by a group of children.
The graphic video was posted to Facebook last night by Paw Justice.
In it a female, who appears to be in her teens, throws a tiny kitten on the ground. Then she and a companion begin repeatedly throwing a large piece of concrete at the kitten, hitting it several times.
At least two people in the background can be heard laughing and egging her on, with all speaking in New Zealand accents.
A police spokeswoman says inquiries are underway.
It is not known if the kitten died, nor who shot the footage - but Paw Justice said on Facebook it was believed to have been filmed in Invercargill.
The video quickly spread online with more than 100,000 views in a matter of hours last night.
Within an hour an Invercargill teen had been named as the girl in the video and posters were threatening violence against her.
In its Facebook post Paw Justice said the video "sickens and saddens us at the same time, because this is reality in New Zealand".
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