KUALA LUMPUR: Police are tracking down a man who recorded a video of himself shooting a caged monkey in cold blood.
The 19-second video, featured the man forcing the monkey to call him "baby sayang" on the count of three before firing a shot at the animal's head.
The video, which has gone viral on social media, has received widespread condemnation from netizens, politician and animal activists alike.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department director Datuk Huzir Mohamed said based on the footage, the man could be investigated under Section 39 of the Firearms Act 1960 for illegal discharge of a firearm and Section 428 of the Penal Code for killing the animal.
"In terms of firearm use, the man has clearly committed an offence. Even if he has a licence for it, no one is allowed to discharge a firearm freely. Each shot, each bullet used must be declared.
“As for the second offence, no one should take the life of an animal. It is wrong, just like the case where two men shoved a cat into a dryer recently.
Huzir said police will be scrutinising the video and track down the culprit responsible for the killing.
“From the recording, it can be ascertained that the incident happened somewhere in the country, based on the language used. But we will need time to find out the exact location."
Meanwhile, Malaysia Animal Association has offered a RM2,000 reward to anyone who can provide information on the incident leading to the capture of the person involved.
Its president Arie Dwi Andika said the video was believed to have gone viral since Saturday but to date, no one has come forward with useful information on the case.
"Whatever the excuse may be to justify the shooting of the animal, this is animal cruelty and heartless. Worse of all, how could the person even record the act on video for public consumption? This should not have happened."
Arie said such graphic video could have a negative psychological effect not just on adult viewers but also children.
"We want to see the person punished for what he has done and we should never let this happen again."
Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar in his tweet today also called on the authorities, including the Wildlife Department, to investigate the matter.