A hunt is underway for a man who kicked a squirrel straight into what appears to be the Grand Canyon in Arizona, according to a video of the incident recently uploaded on YouTube.
With no shoes on and wearing only a cowboy hat and shorts, the unidentified man laid out a trail of food leading the squirrel to the canyon's edge. Next, he puts on one of his shoes and chucks the helpless squirrel into the canyon while another half-naked man in a cowboy hat watches, according to the Associated Press.
The YouTube footage received thousands of views before it was taken down. It was uploaded by Jonathan Hildebrand, who reportedly filmed the alleged animal-kicker, according to the UK's Daily Express.
"I was watching but I did not realize what was happening until it was too late," Hildebrand said according to the Daily Express. "All I know is that they are French."
After the video went viral the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals announced a $16,800 reward for the man's arrest.
"Animal abusers are a danger to everyone- they take their issues out on whomever is available to them, human or non-human, and must be caught before they act again," Ben Williamson, a spokesperson for PETA UK, said according to the Daily Mail.
The video also caught the attention of Grand Canyon National Park officials, who received multiple complaints from people outraged by the man's behavior.
"Right now they are working on it," park spokesperson Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski told the AP. "They realize that it's been seen by a lot of people and that there's some sensitivity to treatment of wildlife."
But officials are not hopeful they will find the culprit.
If officials find the man, who may or may not be French, he could be charged with harassing wildlife, spend six months in jail and pay a $5,000 fine, according to the AP.
