South Australia Police are investigating a video that appears to show an off-duty officer badly injuring or killing a wombat by throwing rocks at it.

Key points: The video was posted on the Wombat Awareness Organisation Facebook page

The video was posted on the Wombat Awareness Organisation Facebook page The SA Police Commissioner has confirmed the man featured in the video is a police officer

The SA Police Commissioner has confirmed the man featured in the video is a police officer They are investigating the incident, as is the RSPCA

However, an Aboriginal elder has defended the "cultural practice".

The video posted on the Wombat Awareness Organisation Facebook page shows a shirtless man — identified as Waylon Johncock — chasing a wombat along a dirt road and throwing rocks at it on the state's far-west coast.

At the end of the video, which the ABC has chosen not to show, the wombat falls over and stops moving after the man hits it in the head several times with a rock.

A man in a car then declares that Mr Johncock has killed the wombat.

"You killed him, bro," he said.

"First bloke to ever see killing a wombat on foot with a rock, mate."

The police commissioner described the man's actions as "totally abhorrent". ( Facebook: Wombat Awareness Organisation )

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said he viewed the footage on Thursday morning and confirmed the man in the video was a police officer.

"I find the actions portrayed in the footage to be totally abhorrent and unacceptable," he said.

"I am aware of the community outrage regarding this matter.

"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."

Rock-throwing a traditional way of killing wombats

The ABC has approached Mr Johncock, who is Aboriginal, for comment.

Port Lincoln-based Wirangu-Kokatha elder Jack Johncock told ABC Eyre Peninsula throwing rocks at wombats was "one of many methods" local Aboriginal people used to kill them for food.

"It's easy for people to sit back and judge people," he said.

"This has been part of our culture and the way we've gone about it for thousands of years.

Jack Johncock has defended the man's actions. ( File )

"For the people of the west coast of South Australia, the wombat is a big part of their diet and they'll get wombat any way they can."

The Wombat Awareness Organisation runs a wombat sanctuary in the Adelaide Hills.

The group has started an online petition calling for it to be illegal for wombats to be killed with rocks, including for Aboriginal people.

Aboriginal people are allowed to kill native wildlife in South Australia under a range of circumstances.

Jack Johncock said the petition showed a "lack of understanding of cultural practices".

"Don't they think they've done enough changes in this country to take away all our rights and customs?" he said.

"I think enough is enough.

"What do they want us to do, eat McDonald's and Kentucky Fried and get fat like everyone else in the country?"

'Slow and horrible' way to die

The incident has been overwhelmingly condemned on social media, while veterinary scientist and conservationist Dr Wayne Boardman said it was "just dreadful".

"Using a blunt instrument like a stone … it just beggars belief why people do sorts of things like that," he said.

"Even though that might be some sort of traditional way of doing things, this is a very slow and horrible way for that animal to die."

The man repeatedly hit the wombat with rocks. ( Facebook: Wombat Awareness Organisation )

Police Minister Corey Wingard said the man's actions should not be tolerated, but he stopped short of saying whether the officer should be stood down.

"What we've got here is an investigation that's underway but from the evidence that's before us, without knowing all the details, I don't think anyone would accept the behaviour that we saw," Mr Wingard said.

The RSPCA directed enquiries to SA Police after earlier saying it would be investigating the video.

The man in the video has been approached for comment.