WARNING: Graphic

TRENT Hunt calls himself a comedian, and he and his mates seem to enjoy trying to emulate the antics of American reality TV series Jackass.

But few people are amused by his latest stunt, which saw him eat what appears to be a live goldfish at a Petbarn store in the Sydney suburb of Penrith.

The resulting clip, part of a video called “Top That” posted on the self-described comic’s Facebook page, has gone viral.

It’s also resulted in Petbarn lodging a formal complaint with RSPCA NSW, and a number of complaints from the public after they viewed the video.

The video was posted to the Facebook page of boxer Kyron Dryden on Tuesday.

In a media statement, the RSPCA said inspectors are currently investigating two men in relation to the incident, and warned animal cruelty is not a laughing matter. Fish are covered by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979, and penalties for animal cruelty can include two years imprisonment and a $22,000 fine.

The video features Hunt entering the pet store and selecting a gold fish from a tank.

The store attendant puts it into a water-filled plastic bag, then leaves to find a rubber band to secure it.

While she is absent, Hunt reaches into the bag, pulls out a goldfish, and shows it to the camera in his hand, before appearing to put it into his mouth and swallow it.

The attendant then returns and looks into the bag, seemingly puzzled, before she looks at Hunt and the camera and appears to laugh.

The scene then cuts to outdoors, showing Hunt vomiting, and then a shot of what appears to be a dead goldfish on the ground.

“It’s completely astounding how anyone could think it is funny to eat a live pet fish, where it would suffer a slow and painful death, all in a poor attempt at humour,” said RSPCA NSW Chief Inspector David OShannessy.

“The law is very clear around protections for fish and other sentient beings under the legislation, and this matter will be thoroughly investigated.”

NSW Police have received a complaint in relation to the filming of a Petbarn staff member without their permission, the RSPCA said. The staff member’s face is partially blurred in the video.

An equally disgusted Petbarn has released a statement saying they are deeply upset by the incident and are conducting their own investigation.

RSPCA NSW is appealing to members of the public that may have first-hand information about this incident to come forward and make a confidential report by calling the animal cruelty hotline on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 3589) or online at https://www.rspcansw.org.au/contact/report-a-cruelty-case/.

“We remind people that they should not report crime information through our social media pages,” OShannessy said.