Distressing footage is being shared on social media that appears to show teenagers in north Dublin terrorising a goat.
Dublin based animal charity My Lovely Horse received a warning of the disgusting cruelty from a horrified parent who saw it on their child's Snapchat page.
The footage is believed to have been taken in the Barry Close area of Finglas in the past day.
My Lovely Horse posted on their Facebook page: "Last night a screenshot was sent to us by a very distressed parent, this was on a child’s Snapchat.
"Kids in Finglas tormenting and abusing this poor goat. It’s on video but they didn’t get the video just a screen shot.
"Please keep an eye out for this poor goat and if you know anything contact us by pm straight away."
A spokesperson for MLH told Dublin Live that they were sending a volunteer out to the area this morning to look for the animal.
Followers of the page were quick to express their outrage at the disgusting image, which shows teens holding the poor animal which is tethered by a bit of rope.
A callous caption written across the screengrab from the video simply reads "Hahahahahah".
One poster rightly asked where the young thugs' parents were, and others urged people to keep their pets indoors over Halloween.
It's understood that gardai were called to the area, and Dublin Live has contacted them for comment.
A spokeswoman for the DSPCA confirmed to Dublin Live that they received a call from a concerned resident at around 3:55pm yesterday to report that a loose goat was roaming around the Finglas area.
The spokeswoman added that if anyone was able to capture the animal, the best course of action would be to place it in a back garden where it was safe, and then call them immediately on 01 499 4700.
