An Eastern Bay school, sports club and business have publicly distanced themselves from the actions of two young men who filmed themselves throwing puppies into the Whakatāne River.

The disturbing video sparked outrage after it was circulated on social media on Monday evening, prompting condemnation and reports of animal cruelty to Whakatāne police.

Whakatāne area response manager Senior Sergeant Cam MacKinnon said police acted quickly after receiving the reports of the two men throwing very young puppies into the river and using social media to showcase their offending.

“We received information from the public who saw the males take the puppies out of what looked to be a pillowcase and throw them into the Whakatāne River, while filming their senseless activity.”

The puppies died in the river.

Police located both offenders, aged 17 and 19, and interviewed them at the police station.

The 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged with wilful ill-treatment of an animal and will appear in court.

The 17-year-old has been referred to Youth Aid.

Mr MacKinnon acknowledged the role of the public in helping identify those involved.

“Police yet again want to thank the public … the quicker we get the information and the more succinct the information is, the better we can clamp down on the problem.”

He said the behaviour was unacceptable and an offence under the Animal Welfare Act.

Both Whakatāne High School and Tāneatua Rugby Football Club have issued public statements distancing themselves from those involved.

The school said the person in the video was a former student and that it did not condone the behaviour. The rugby club said the person was no longer a member and “the behaviour depicted was completely unacceptable and does not reflect the values, standards, or culture of our club.”

Beulah Services Concrete, whose name appears on the sports shirt worn by the offender, was inundated by messages and falsely tagged on social media as the offender’s employer.

“This information is false; the individual is not employed by Beulah or by any of our subsidiaries.

“We are horrified at these actions and in no way condone this type of behaviour.”

The company has sponsored events and sports teams in the community for years and plans to continue doing so.

Anyone with further information can contact the police online at 105.police.govt.nz and quote event number P065921794.