Man admits animal torture

The concern from Australia's peak animal welfare group follows the decapitation of a mouse in Queensland and the stabbing and exploding of possums in Tasmania.

Animal protection officers uncovered video images of the torture and both cases have ended up in court.

But the RSPCA says animal torture being posted on social media is a disturbing trend and it is getting worse.

"We're seeing close to between six and 10 incidents a week where animal cruelty is being posted on the internet or on Facebook," said Michael Beatty from the Queensland branch of the RSPCA.

"The worrying trend is that people seem to be showcasing their blatant disregard for animals on social media and on the internet and as well all know it's very, very hard to track the perpetrators down."

Mr Beatty says the latest case involved a young woman who was sentenced to 180 hours of community service after she filmed herself decapitating a mouse and posting the video online.

It took 40 seconds for the mouse to die.

"A mouse was purchased from a pet shop. It was quite obvious it was purchased for the process of sort of brutally torturing it and killing it," Mr beatty said.

"And the other disturbing aspect of course is that the person filmed the event and then posted it on a social media site."

Also before the courts is the case of two men in Tasmania who filmed themselves bashing, stabbing, exploding and torching possums.

RSPCA prosecutions officer Glenn Carey said the men went out in a vehicle to catch the brushtail possums and filmed the acts of cruelty.

The video was shown to the court yesterday.

"There was systematic killing and wounding of five possums over a sustained period," Mr Carey said.

"It was not just one act or one night."

Three counts were comprised of the men driving a car at the possums, one count involved the stabbing of a caged possum with a knife on a stick and a third count involved beating the possum to death with a broom handle.

Three of the possums were set fire to and blown up.

Mr Carey said the animals would have suffered much pain and they died in an extremely brutal way.

He said there were 270 carers in Tasmania who volunteered their time to raise orphaned possums and they had been devastated about the way the possums were treated.

Defence lawyer Sacha Wong said Hampton's co-accused was the main perpetrator.

Mr Wong said Hampton had not seen the footage between the time it was shot and the time he was interviewed by police.

"He found the footage quite disgusting himself," Mr Wong said.

"He is ashamed of his actions but has no explanation for them."

The court heard drugs or alcohol were not involved.