Police Identify Suspects In Case of Dog Thrown Off Cliff in England

File photo showing Kaylee, a Golden Retriever, jumping into a pool of water during the 2018 Melbourne Dog Lovers Show in Australia on May 4, 2018. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Police in Britain have identified the suspects involved in the case of a dog thrown off a cliff and into the sea.

Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed in a statement that they identified the people responsible for the disturbing incident that took place at an unspecified location near Falmouth, Cornwall, on May 1, where the cliffs are said to tower over 100 feet high.

“We are currently working with the local @RSPCA_official in this case and have identified those involved,” the police announced on May 3.

“We ask that people, including users of social media, do not speculate around the circumstances of this incident, or the individual involved,” a police spokesman said, according to Cornwall Live.

The police spokesman also urged the public “not to take the law into their own hands.”

Disturbing Video

In a video obtained by Daily Mail, a young, red-haired fellow holds a dog up with both of his hands before throwing it out to sea. The dog still has its leash on. The dog can be seen wiggling and writhing as it flies through the air.

As the dog hits the water, it immediately heads for the nearby shore, where it appears to reach land unharmed.

The video footage was spread widely on social media before it was deleted, according to Daily Mail.

Police confirmed that the dog was not injured, despite speculations on social media to the contrary, Cornwall Live reported.

“We are aware of an incident of animal cruelty which has been reported in Falmouth. This matter is being investigated. Please appreciate that we need to do this effectively without intrusion or inaproppriate [sic] comments or threats. The dog is alive, uninjured, safe and well,” Falmouth & Helston Police posted on their Facebook page.

Some of the commenters were relieved that the dog went unharmed.

“Good the dog survived as lots of rumours saying that he died of a broken back afterwards. Shocking poor dog hope the person responsible is dealt with appropriately [sic],” commented Helen Buckland on the police’s post.

Others were also outraged by what they had been in the video.

“What is there to investigate, the video shows exactly what happened, there is no ambiguity concerning the cruelty to the dog, the perpetrators have been clearly identified. That animal should now be safe and well, removed from the ‘care’ of its owners [sic],” commented Debra Clegg.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is also investigating.

“We have been made aware of some upsetting footage showing a dog being thrown off a cliff in Falmouth, Cornwall, reads a statement from the animal group, obtained by BBC. “We are very concerned about this incident and would like to reassure people we are looking into it.”

Animal Cruelty Laws

The United Kingdom was the first country in the world to put the law to implement animal protection laws, according to the BBC. In 1822, the parliament passed an act that would prevent the cruel treatment of cattle. The first general animal protection law was introduced in 1911 and had gone through various changes since then.

The Protection of Animals Act was replaced with the Animal Welfare Act to include animal abuses and similar scenarios and was implemented fully in England and Wales in 2007.

In addition, according to The Independent, under a new law, people who abuse animals will face a much steeper punishment—with up to five years in prison. Before these stricter laws were put in place to prevent cruelty to animals, people often only faced six months of prison for their actions.

According to Environment Secretary Michael Gove, the new rules were necessary to combat the cruelty of animals.

This new legislation would also be enforced on gangs whose activities revolve around organized dog fighting, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The sentencing will largely depend on the severity of the case, according to the news outlet, and under this new legislation, the courts could hand out unlimited bans, disallowing animal abusers from owning or raising pets.

“We are a nation of animals lovers and so we must ensure that those who commit the most shocking cruelty towards animals face suitably tough punishments,” Gove said. “These plans will give courts the tools they have requested to deal with the most abhorrent acts.”

This came after courts said that an option to impose graver punishments for animal abusers would be used. One case, a man bought a number of puppies just so he could abuse them, according to The Independent.

“We now feel that those who commit these acts will soon be receiving sentences that reflect the seriousness of their crime and hope this will act as a real deterrent against cruelty and neglect,” Gove said.

Dog Found Swimming Offshore

In April, the Bangkok Post reported that a dog was found swimming about 137 miles from shore in the Gulf of Thailand off of Songkhla province.

The dog was discovered by workers on an oil drilling rig. The dog is believed to have fallen from a fishing boat, the Bangkok Post reported. The dog swam towards the oil platform and clung to a pole. Four people used a rope to pull the dog to safety.

The rescue operation took 15 minutes, Vitisak Payalaw, an offshore planner for Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, told ABC News.

The dog, who was nicknamed Boonrod by his rescuers, now has a Facebook page of his own. Boonrod means “the dog rescued by merit,” according to ABC News.

Epoch Times reporters Paula Liu and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.