Animal lovers share appalling footage of dog being punched in head in bid to find those responsible

WARNING: Contains distressing footage.

Social media users have called for a man videoed savagely beating a dog in a car to be found and brought to justice.

The appalling footage has racked up millions of views in recent days, with animal lovers demanding the man answers for his actions. The footage appears to have been filmed by a friend of the man, with others heard laughing in the background as he slaps and punches the animal, which is seemingly unable to escape. It is unclear where the footage originates from, with The Mirror pointing out that conflicting reports have claimed it was recorded in Iraq or Iran. Twitter account PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE shared the footage, which has been shared over 10,000 times. In a later tweet, the account praises those social media users who have shared it, including Ricky Gervais - who has regularly campaigned on the issue of animal welfare in the past.

The footage is contained in the tweet embedded below, but be warned, some readers will find this upsetting. If you are likely to be one of them, we recommend you avoid watching it.

https://twitter.com/Protect_Wldlife/status/980475693715910656