A young Zambian has been arrested after a man was seen cruelly beating a Siberian Husky puppy outside a condominium building in Samut Prakan.
Wachisa Sikwese, 27, was detained at his room in Bang Sao Thong district, Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang, Immigration Bureau chief, said at a media briefing on Friday.
Watchdog Thailand, a non-profit group, had earlier received a complaint that a foreign man was seen mistreating a young Siberian Husky in condominium car park on July 13. The pup had tried to hide under a car, but the man dragged it back out by its chain and beat it. The animal had defecated in fear.
The animal's loud cries had initially attracted the attention of people living in the condominium building. None had dared to interfere. Part of the incident was videoed and posted online, drawing strong condemnation of the man.
Neighbours said it was not the first time the man had been seen mistreating the animal.
Immigration and local police, livestock officials and representatives from Watchdog Thailand went to the condominium building to investigate, Pol Lt Gen Sompong said.
They questioned Mr Sikwese, who admitted being the owner of the puppy in the video clip. He told police he had two Siberian Husky puppies, a 4-month-old female and a male aged 8 months. The female was found to be suffering, with two broken legs and bruising over her body. The male was unharmed.
Police were told the young pup had angered its owner by chewing on his laptop's wires, and had also damaged the floor. He responded by punching and beating it.
Pol Lt Gen Sompong said Mr Sikwese had entered the country to study at a university on July 5, 2013. He was allowed to stay in the country until March 11 last year. He had overstayed his visa by 489 days.
He was charged with overstaying and cruelty to an animal.
A video clip said to be of the man mstreating his puppy in the car park of a condominium in Samut Prakan province. (Video clip taken from @watchdogthailandpage Facebook)