A group of men in Uttar Pradesh, India, beat a critically endangered freshwater Ganges river dolphin to death, Newsweek reported.
In the video reportedly taken Dec. 31, one man held the dolphin down in the water while others beat it, according to Newsweek. Three men can be seen appearing to beat the dolphin with wooden sticks while another man appears to have an axe buried in the back of the animal. The dolphin bleeds from its wounds as it struggles in vain to get away.
Horrific , difficult to watch video from UP’s Pratapgarh where these villagers beat a Dolphin ( yes a dolphin ) to death on dec 31 . Three arrested , says @pratapgarhpol . Must take a different level of depravity to do this … pic.twitter.com/KsV7eBZW4F
— Alok Pandey (@alok_pandey) January 8, 2021
One man in the video told those beating the dolphin, “You are beating it for no reason,” according to NDTV. Another man in the video can be heard saying “hit it now, hit it.”
The dolphin was found dead by the side of the Sharda Sahayak canal by a forest department official who responded to a call about the incident, according to Newsweek. (RELATED: Deadly Skin Disease Affecting Dolphins Linked To Climate Change)
Since the video came out three men in it have reportedly been identified and arrested by local police. They are residents of a village near the Sharda canal, according to The Print.
“Three of them have been arrested,” Uttar Pradesh Police Inspector Jitendra Singh told the publication. “Rahul, 20 years, son of Ayodhya Prasad, Anuj 20 years, son of Ram Pal, and Rahul, 19 years, son of Chote Lal, were arrested Thursday.”
If found guilty, the suspects can be expected to receive a punishment of 3 to 7 years imprisonment and a minimum fine of 10,000 rupees.