The United States Marine Corps is investigating a case of animal cruelty in response to a YouTube video depicting a uniformed Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff, which appears to be in a desert-like environment.
The video originally appeared on YouTube.com on Monday, was pulled, but then reposted dozens of times on that site and similar ones. It has generated at least 80 video responses on YouTube, including some that question the video’s credibility, and hundreds more written responses, many of them in true YouTube form vulgar and threatening.
A second Marine, allegedly the one recording, also appears on the video, saying, “That was mean, Mortari,” after the animal is thrown. The use of the Marine’s name quickly instigated a citizen cyber-manhunt that lead to the discovery of a Bebo profile belonging to an individual named David Mortari, a name the Marines confirm as one having been registered with the Marines.
The phone number and address from the profile were posted multiple times on several sites. “Call him and let him know how you feel,” a user calling himself LarryPleau posted, along with the number, on YouTube.
“The video is shocking and deplorable and is contrary to the high standards the Marine Corps expects of every Marine,” a press release from the Marine Corps stated. “The Marine Corps does not tolerate this type of behavior and will take appropriate action.”
An LA Times blog post pondered why such a video could gain such widespread attention when videos of cruelty against humans are only rarely circulated.
“If the public cannot trust the marines with the life of a puppy, then how can we ever trust them with the lives of human beings,” a commenter named Angela wrote.
Others noted the puppy’s “innocence” and inability to defend itself as reasons why the video has ignited such outrage.
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