A 16-year-old boy who forced a black swan to inhale vape fumes while filming the incident for social media has been sentenced to a four-month community-based order in Western Australia.

The teenager pleaded guilty to two charges of causing unnecessary harm to an animal in the Children’s Court in Rockingham. The incident occurred near Endeavour Island in Mandurah, south of Perth, when the boy and another teenager were travelling in an inflatable boat.

Swan was brought aboard the boat

The court heard the teenagers noticed a black swan with a fishing lure lodged in its neck. The accused brought the bird onto the boat and removed the lure.

He then blew vapour from a vape device into the swan’s beak while the incident was recorded and shared online. The court also heard that the other teenager allegedly slapped the swan across the head. That child has not yet entered a plea.

A second swan was also involved. The court heard it was allegedly slapped and later became unresponsive. The accused reportedly became concerned that the bird had died before discarding it in nearby bushland. Police later located a large carcass and black feathers.

Snapchat streak led to reckless act

The teenager’s lawyer told the court that he had been motivated by an obsession with maintaining Snapchat streaks and was showing off to a younger friend.

The lawyer described the incident as impulsive and said the teenager had apologised and wished he could undo what happened. The boy had no previous convictions or history of animal cruelty.

Magistrate condemns behaviour

Magistrate Andrée Horrigan described the teenager’s actions as a “graphic, awful error in judgement” and expressed particular concern about the use of the vape.

“The use of the vape is extraordinary,” she said during sentencing.

The court heard that the teenager and his family had faced significant stress after the incident was widely circulated on social media. However, the magistrate declined a request for the matter to be heard in a closed court, noting that members of the public, rather than the media, had identified the child.

The sentence reflects the court’s concern over the unnecessary suffering caused to the protected wildlife and the serious consequences of reckless behaviour shared on social media. #Australia #AnimalCruelty #BlackSwan #Vaping #SocialMedia #Snapchat #Wildlife