A man has been arrested after a video of a horrifying attack on a kangaroo circulated on social media this week.

The footage, posted to Snapchat and Facebook, shows a man repeatedly punching an injured kangaroo while onlookers cheer and laugh.

Police say the kangaroo, which they believe was attacked in the far south of NSW, later died.

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An 18-year-old man was arrested at his Holbrook home on Wednesday after he contacted police in relation to the video.

Police allege he attacked the kangaroo in Woomargama National Park, south of Holbrook, in January 2019.

The teenager has been charged with committing an act of cruelty upon an animal and harming or attempting to harm a protected animal.

He’s been granted bail to appear in court in March.

Police say their investigations are continuing and they expect to charge another person.

Ray Hadley has called the attack “disgusting”, but says there may be a good reason the offender hasn’t been named.

“If it’s 12 months ago, he may well have been a juvenile at the time of the offence and may be dealt with by a children’s court.”

Click PLAY below to hear Ray’s comments in full