A high-profile case of animal abuse has again gripped the public with the detention of a man?after a micro-blogger?posted an online picture depicting cruelty to a Tibetan Wild Ass, or kiang.

The photo posted on Monday shows a laughing man with bloody hands standing behind a terrified kiang, a first class national protected animal. In the image there is what resembles a hunk of flesh sitting beside the stricken animal against the blue sky and green grassland.

The photo posted on Monday shows a laughing man with bloody hands standing behind a terrified kiang, a first class national protected animal. [Photo from weibo.com]

It has been confirmed that the outrage occurred at a national nature reserve in Tibet. Local authorities have identified the suspect as a non-local businessman who was detained by the police on Monday.

The alleged atrocity trigged outrage among China's netizens. The whistle-blower @8264 Laoyin posted, "Tibetan animal protection authority should bring this [suspect] to justice with the photo as testimony."

An online user who identified himself as a local citizen posted: "Recently our home of Tibet frequently witnessed evil deeds, such as stealing donated money and this abuse. We are deeply sorry to tourists?...?Our holy land does not welcome these actions."

Famous micro-blogger Ren Zhiqiang, a real estate tycoon who has more than 22.7 million followers, has called for severe punishment to the perpetrator.

Psychologists have noted that abusing animals can be a mental illness that deserves psychological treatment.

According to China's Wild Animal Protection Law implemented in 1989, a person who hunts or slaughters national protected animals can be sentenced to prison for up to five years.