Two local animal rights organizations, Bali Animal Defender and Bali Cat Lovers, went to the Bali Police yesterday to file a report against a man who goes by the name Dewa Candra on Facebook. 

On Saturday, Dewa posted a photo of a white cat hanged on a tree on a Facebook group along with a caption written in Balinese language, which said that Dewa had been hunting the cat after it ate nine of his pigeons. 

The post was later screen captured and shared across various social media platforms, sparking outrage among many Balinese people. 

Warning: Disturbing content

“That’s a hungry cat, sir… You should have given it food so that it doesn’t eat your birds..” one user commented. 

“It’s so thin… It’s obvious that he was hungry. What a cruel uncivilized [person with] no heart..” 

Bali Animal Defender and Bali Cat Lovers alleged that Dewa violated Article 302 of Indonesia’s criminal code on animal abuse, which carries a maximum prison sentence of nine months. 

“As social beings, we ought to have an open mind and heart. It doesn’t have to be this way. Cats are living things as well, if they don’t like it, they could have reported it to us to help,” Junian Christina, founder of Bali Cat Lovers, told Kumparan.

“We want this to act as a deterrent to those people who have a habit of doing things like these. Not just to cats, but also dogs. We cannot torture them like that. If [we] don’t like it simply shoo them away.” 

Last month, animal activists in Bali reported a shopkeeper in Gianyar regency to the police following the death of a three-month old dog, which reportedly died after it was abused. The story developed into a heartwarming appreciation toward the local police, who received flower boards from animal lovers and activists for enforcing animal welfare laws.