Marine Throws Puppy

A YouTube video surfaced in early March, 2008, that apparently shows a US Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff. The video itself has been removed from YouTube (the site says for 'terms of use violations'). A March 4th AP report cites Maj. Chris Perrine of the Marine Corps Base Hawaii saying that the Marine in the video appears to be based with a unit in Hawaii, and a home address purported to be that of the Marine, allegedly identified as David Motari, has been posted on the Internet. The Marine Corps has begun an investigation into the incident, while Snopes.com currently lists its authenticity as 'undetermined.'

1. It's possible for small animals to survive falls from any height, because the terminal velocity they reach isn't necessarily fatal
2. The Marine Corps operates a puppy rescue program in Iraq
3. Other such footage includes a clip of US servicemen in Iraq throwing flash grenades at sheep

• YouTube Video: Soldier Throws Puppy Off Cliff (Time: 0:16)
• KING5.com: Monroe Family Threatened over Video of Marine Tossing Pup (March 5, 2008)
• CNN: Video Appears to Show Marine Abusing Puppy (March 4, 2008)
• Snopes.com: Thrown Puppy (March 4, 2008)
• Chicago Sun Times: Video apparently of Marine throwing puppy off cliff leads to military investigation (March 4, 2008)
  • "Marine officials are calling the YouTube video 'shocking and deplorable' and say it violates 'the high standard we expect of every Marine.' "

• The Honolulu Advertiser: Marines examining dog-toss video clip (March 4, 2008)
• Times Online: Puppy-toss video makes Marine figure of hate (March 4, 2008)
• KITV Honolulu: Marine Apparently Throws Puppy Off Cliff (March 3, 2008)
  • "Officials from Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe, Hawaii are investigating the case. They say the soldier involved is a lance corporal who returned to the base from Iraq in October."

• KGMB.com: Marine Corps Investigates Alleged Puppy Torture (March 3, 2008)
• HeraldNet: Puppy-tossing video implicates U.S. Marine (March 3, 2008)
  • The Herald quotes Marine spokeswoman Capt. Blanca Binstock that the Pentagon became aware of the video as it was released on the web and is investigating. Neither the military nor the Herald will confirm the authenticity of the video or positively identify Motari as the man in the video.