A 19-year-old man has been charged after footage allegedly showing puppies being thrown into the Whakatāne River sparked a police investigation.

The footage, shared to social media this week, appeared to show two people removing the puppies from a pillowcase and throwing them into the water.

Police said they became aware of the incident after multiple people forwarded the video to authorities.

“Tragically, the puppies drowned in the river,” police said.

Senior Sergeant Cam MacKinnon said a 19-year-old man had been charged with cruelty to animals, while a 17-year-old had been referred to Youth Aid.

He said wilful ill-treatment towards animals is “unacceptable in any form”.

“We will robustly work to hold offenders to account for their actions. This includes restrictions on bail during court proceedings.”

The videos were shared to the Facebook group Animal abusers exposed NZ.

Hundreds of comments on the multiple posts strongly condemned the men’s actions.

Police are investigating after puppies were allegedly thrown into the Whakatāne River. Photo / Supplied

SPCA regional manager Jason Blair said the footage was “distressing and concerning”.

“As this is a police matter, we are available to assist them with any inquiries and cannot comment further.”

If anyone else has information regarding this incident, it can be provided online at 105.police.govt.nz, click “Update Report”.

Please quote police event number P065921794.