In the video, which runs just under two minutes, a group of soldiers at an unidentified location is seen trying to catch a wild boar in a field.

The video then cuts to a scene where the wild boar is lying motionless in a drain, with a soldier hitting it on its head with a metal rod before some of them help to drag the animal back onto the field.

FMT has reached out to an armed forces spokesman for comment.

Rajesh Nagarajan, founder of Lawyers for Animal Rights, said the officers who committed the “vicious act” should be held responsible and charged to the fullest extent of the law.

“What these presumably army cadets did is reprehensible and horrible,” he said.

“All of them need to be identified and charged under Section 86 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 for cruelty to wildlife.

“Can you imagine how much the wild boar would have suffered? We call upon the army to immediately identify and court-martial these officers,” he said.

He added that the court-martial process could run in tandem with prosecution according to the Wildlife Conservation Act. Anyone found guilty under Section 86 is liable to a fine of between RM5,000 and RM50,000, a one-year jail term, or both.

Rajesh explained that if a wild animal trespasses any property, it is usually because of human-animal conflict when humans encroach into an animal’s territory and it has nowhere else to go.

In such instances, Rajesh said Perhilitan (Department of Wildlife and National Parks) or the fire and rescue department should be called to evacuate the animal to a safe location.

Malaysia Animal Association (MAA) president Arie Dwi Andika also condemned the soldiers’ actions, stating that the inhumane slaughter clearly contravenes the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

“The way the animal is killed and the tools used must be in line with the threat – not emotions,” he pointed out.