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Outrage is growing over the stoning of a wombat by a South Australian police officer with calls for him to be sacked and prosecuted. Premier Steven Marshall has described the video of the incident, which was posted online, as "gut-wrenching". The officer has been identified in media reports as Waylon Johncock who is stationed on SA's west coast. The video shows a man following a wombat along a dirt road while throwing rocks at it as he is cheered on by a friend in a car. Towards the end, the wombat falls over and stops moving after being hit several times in the head. Mr Marshall said he abhorred any glorification of the animal cruelty. "The public dissemination of acts which glorify cruelty to animals is completely and utterly unacceptable," he told reporters on Friday. The premier said there were cultural practices that, under the Native Title laws, allowed the taking of native animals by Aboriginal people. But he said he had spoken to indigenous leaders about the matter over the past 24 hours and their position was very clear. "Animal cruelty is animal cruelty," he said. "Most people looking at that footage would be disgusted." Mr Marshall said it might also be time to look at the legislation that allowed the taking of native animals. The Wombat Awareness Organisation has called for the law to be changed and has already attracted more than 140,000 signatures to an online petition. "We are asking for all native animals to be protected under the Animal Welfare Act and for this perpetrator to be prosecuted," the organisation said. It said the attack on the wombat represented the "polar opposite" of its own actions to save the "beautiful animals". "May this baby not have suffered and died in vain," it said. Animal welfare group PETA also called for the officer to be kicked out of the force and prosecuted. "We must treat all acts of violence with the seriousness that they deserve," spokeswoman Emily Rice said. "Otherwise, we risk endangering the lives of both animals and humans." As he launched an investigation on Thursday, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens described the conduct of the officer as "totally abhorrent". "I am aware of the community outrage regarding this matter," he said in a statement. "I want to reassure everybody that the actions in the video do not align with the values and behaviours I expect from my employees, nor does it align with community standards. "Numerous employees of South Australia police have also expressed to me that they, too, find the footage detestable and not consistent with their values." Australian Associated Press

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