A woman in Australia is facing worldwide backlash and hefty fines after filming herself holding a native wallaby by the tail and encouraging her dog to torment the animal. To make matters worse, she filmed the entire horrific incident and uploaded it to TikTok, claiming she thought it was “funny.” Somehow, however, she avoided any jail time.
According to court documents, 28-year-old Emma Weitnauer came across the pademelon, a small, compact, short-tailed species of wallaby, back in December 2021 while walking her Jack Russell terrier, Patch.
Rather than leaving the small animal alone, she pulled out her phone and began filming as she commanded her dog to chase and attack the pademelon in 15 separate videos. The harrowing act of animal cruelty lasted about 13 minutes, during which time Weitnauer filmed herself telling her dog to “get it” and “bite it” a total of 42 times.
Weitnauer then posted the series of videos to TikTok, giving the entire world a first-row seat to the barbaric encounter. The videos depict the dog chasing after the terrified animal as it attempts to flee. On its owner’s instruction, the terrier even chases the wallaby through a river at one point.
Exhausted and covered in bite wounds, the wallaby attempted to defend itself against the dog. Weitnauer’s behavior only grew more shocking from there, however, as she grabbed the animal by its tail before commanding the dog to continue the attack while she held it still.
When the woman was satisfied with the wallaby’s extensive injuries, she decided to “put it out of its misery.” In doing so, she “stomped” on the animal’s head with “steel-capped boots,” ending its life.
Woman Faces $4,000 in Fines for Horrific Acts of Animal Cruelty Against Wild Wallaby
Following the stomach-churning trial, Weitnauer pled guilty to a multitude of charges. These include two counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal, dog attacking animals, taking partly protected wildlife, and taking any form of partly protected wildlife, relating to a separate incident.
Wildlife officers explained to the court that they became aware of the videos several days after the woman posted them on social media. In their subsequent interview with Weitnauer, she claimed she “felt guilty” for tormenting the wallaby. She also admitted, however, that she “felt it was kinda funny at the time.”
According to Weitnauer, she filmed and posted the wallaby abuse to entertain hunters. She thought hunters with dogs would get “a kick out of it” but insisted she has a “great respect for animals.”
Despite her extensive crimes, Weitnauer received only $4,000 in fines with no jail time attached. Following the trial’s conclusion, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary Director Greg Irons demanded more punishment for animal abusers.
“This is an assault on a completely defenseless, tiny animal, using a dog, filming it, and calling it ‘funny,'” he said, per ABC News. “At the end of the day, if you’re not outraged by this, then something is wrong.”
In response to the rise in reports of animal cruelty, Irons suggested a more practical approach to dealing with offenders. Rather than jail time, courts could order abusers to spend a month with sick or injured wildlife. “The public needs to stand up and say, enough is enough,” he said.