Kitten set afire in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: An unidentified man who set afire a kitten and posted a video of his action on social media is now the subject of a virtual manhunt launched by animal rights group, Humane Society International's India chapter.

The society also offered a reward of Rs 50,000 to anyone who can identify the miscreant. The video has no human voices but the hapless kitten's desperate mewing can be heard. The kitten itself seems as though it is already weak because it does not attempt to run fast or be able to do anything other than cry out weakly, before dropping to the ground and taking its last breath.

“The video showed someone setting a kitten on fire with a lighter.  It seems like an accelerant was sprayed or poured on the kitten which is seen immediately catching fire. The act took place on a grassy land, at night, there is no dialogue other than the kitten crying,” Alokparna Sengupta, managing director, Humane Society International-India, told Deccan Chronicle.

“That someone could set fire to a tiny, helpless kitten, and burn it alive means humanity has failed its moral test. No person who can get away with doing this will stop just at this. How many animals, or humans, have suffered this fate at the hands of this person before, or will, after, is unknown. Unless we act immediately. We have reported this instance to appropriate authorities and we hope that investigation will begin immediately.”

Sengupta asked for any information that will help the society and the police identify this person to be shared on india@hsi.org or +91 7674922044.