A teenage girl in Australia has sparked controversy after she played a prank on the endangered quokka.



On the 11th local time, foreign media such as Australia's 9 News reported on a shocking video that was recently circulated mainly on SNS.

The video, believed to have been filmed on Rottnest Island, Australia, showed a teenage girl having a quokka inhale an e-cigarette.




The quokka is a small animal in the kangaroo family that is classified as Vulnerable to Endangered Species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

However, due to the nature of the quokka that follows people well, it is also called by nicknames such as 'Laughing Fine' and 'Walking Fine'.



Nevertheless, the girl in the video put an electronic cigarette in the mouth of the quokka, who raised her head to look at her, and the quokka, who mistook it for food, took the electronic cigarette.

The quokka also licked a cigarette and tried to catch it with its front paws, but in the process, it is highly probable that he inhaled smoke after biting the e-cigarette and not pulling it out for a few seconds.




The video went viral online, angering many animal lovers and experts, and authorities eventually launched an investigation.

"It is irresponsible and unacceptable to do such a cruel thing to a poor animal that knows nothing," said RSPCA, a Western Australian animal welfare charity. They accept what they give as they are.”



The group continued, "There is no excuse for the cruel act of treating animals as props in order to get a few 'likes' on social media."




This isn't the first time a video of abusing quokkas has been shared.

In 2018, a man in his 30s was fined for filming a scene where he was drinking alcohol, and in 2017, two men were charged with kicking a quokka. 



The identity of the girl in the 'Qokka e-cigarette' video has not been revealed so far, but if the girl is arrested, she will be charged with animal cruelty and face up to 5 years in prison and a fine of 50,000 dollars (about 42.8 million won). The expected.



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(Photo=Australia 9news website capture, Tourism Australia)