Outrage in Australia: Man offers e-cigarette to a quokka - and gets fined

A 29-year-old man was fined 200 Australian dollars and banned from Rottnest Island after placing an e-cigarette near the face of a quokka, a protected marsupial. The local prime minister condemned the act, and the light fine sparked outrage online.

A 29-year-old man was fined 200 Australian dollars and banned from Rottnest Island after filming himself placing an e-cigarette near the face of a quokka, a protected marsupial. Western Australian Premier Roger Cook condemned the act, calling it "disgusting." The light fine, compared to possible penalties of up to 300,000 dollars and five years in prison for animal abuse, sparked outrage online. Local authorities are trying to leverage the incident to raise awareness among visitors to the island.