AN 18-year-old man kicked a quokka so hard that it travelled about two metres across a road outside the Geordie Bay general store at Rottnest Island last night.
"Police were conducting patrols of the area after 6pm and saw the man walk up to the quokka and kick it," Sergeant Ryan Murphy told the Western Suburbs Weekly this afternoon.
The Mt Pleasant resident was immediately arrested, taken to the Rottnest Island Police Station and then evicted from the island.
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READ NOW"His parents had to pick him up and they were not too happy," Sgt Murphy said.
The man will appear at the Fremantle Magistrates Court on December 23.
He was charged under the Animal Cruelty Act and faces up to five years in jail or a $50,000 fine.
Sgt Murphy said he was unsure if the quokka sustained life-threatening injuries, as police were unable to locate it after apprehending the man.
He said he was disappointed that the group of about four people with the man did nothing to stop the attack.
"Whether its animal cruelty or domestic violence, people need to speak up and say it is unacceptable," he said.
"Don't just watch your mate do it."