AN ANONYMOUS AUSTRALIAN man living in Ireland has offered a cash reward of €10,000 for information about an incident where a baby kangaroo or wallaby was brought into a nightclub last week.

Speaking to The Star, the donor said he was furious to hear about what had happened to the animal he described as his country’s “national emblem”. He said that he was offering the reward so the people responsible for the cruel treatment would be punished.

There are fears that the marsupial died from shock after being brought into a 30th birthday party being held at a nightclub at the Clarion Hotel in Liffey Valley in Dublin last week. The the DJ played theme tune of “Skippy the Bush Kangaroo” as the animal was brought onto the crowded dance floor.

Disturbing video footage showed a man pretending to perform a sex act on the animal in the middle the disco. The footage was then posted on Facebook.

Reports that the animal was fed alcohol or ecstasy have not been confirmed.

Orla Aungier of the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) quoted by the BBC said: ”You can imagine the fear and stress it must have felt. It is completely unacceptable that an animal would be used in this way”.

The gardaí are continuing an investigation into the incident – but still have no information about what happened to the animal after it was removed from the party.

The reward for information can be collected through the Irish branch of the Animal Rights Action Network.

John Carmody, director of the association spoke to The Star about the anonymous donor :

He is offering a genuine cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the persons responsible for the horrific torment and purported killing of an Australian marsupial during a 30th birthday party that went horribly wrong for the gentle animal.

A garda source quoted by the Press Association said that the authorities believed the animal was hired and brought to the party for around 10 minutes.

We are investigating an allegation that it was given alcohol but there is no evidence of that either at this stage. After the CCTV footage, no one knows what happened, good, bad or indifferent.