The slaughter of a group of rare miniature wallabies on an island off the coast of Western Australia has revived ugly memories of the cruellest sport Down Under - 'quokka soccer'.
As small as rabbits, quokkas are curious marsupials that live on Rottnest Island, 20km west of the port of Fremantle.
Since January 5, eight quokkas have been found dead on the 11km-long island, apparently kicked or beaten to death. The animals were found on a cricket oval near Thomson Bay Settlement, one of Rottnest's few villages.
The dead quokkas were found by maintenance workers who alerted the island's wildlife rangers.
Ranger Sallyann Gudge said: 'I've shed many a tear over the last few days. We are all really shocked and upset about the whole thing. I just don't understand human beings sometimes. I hope and pray that this sort of thing doesn't happen again.'
In the 1990s, a spate of attacks on the small creatures gave rise to the phrase quokka soccer, with day-trippers from the mainland apparently kicking and killing the animals for fun.
Police on the island are now investigating the attack and say several visitors have come forwards with information they hope will lead to an arrest.