YOUTUBE VIDEO SPARKS OUTRAGE: Did he throw puppy down cliff?
March 07, 2008
A CLIP posted on video-sharing website YouTube has recently raised the hackles of animal lovers.
In the first clip, a US marine smiles as he holds what appears to be a puppy by the scruff of the neck.
The face of the motionless black-and-white puppy is shown to the camera as another marine comments on how cute it is. Then, it is tossed off a rocky cliff.
A yelping sound is heard as it flips through the air.
Whether the 17-second clip is authentic or a prank, it has drawn sharp condemnation and widespread outrage, reported AP.
Animal rights groups said on Tuesday they have been flooded with e-mails and calls about the disturbing video, which was viewed tens of thousands of times before it was taken down by YouTube on Tuesday 'due to terms of use violation'.
Many people expressed shock and anger on websites and blogs.
'We're appalled,' said Mr Martin Mersereau, spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
'Thankfully, it appears the marines are taking this very seriously.'
The US Marine Corps is investigating the video, calling it 'deplorable and contrary to the high standards we expect of every marine'.
The alleged name of the marine who threw the puppy, a 22-year-old lance-corporal based at Kaneohe Bay, was uttered in the video and now has been widely circulated on the Internet.
Another YouTube clip has also caused anger - this time from the victim.
In England, a 25-year-old mother who was allegedly gang-raped in her home has lashed out at YouTube for allowing a video of her ordeal to be posted on the site, reported the Daily Mail.
She claimed the three-minute clip shows her being raped by three boys as her two children, aged 2 and 4, screamed.
'How could anyone allow anything as degrading as that to be posted on the Internet?' she said.
The video was posted on 6 Nov within hours of her attack and remained online for three months.
The video was only removed in mid-February after a visitor to the website complained.
By then, it had been viewed more than 600 times.
Scotland Yard confirmed it is investigating an allegation of rape. Three teenagers have been quizzed over the attack.
Source:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...58386,00.html?