The video clip was discovered by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, based in Norfolk, Va. PETA alerted the Orange County, Calif., District Attorney and urged him to prosecute Joseph Deiss, 19, of Yorba Linda, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"The actions depicted in the video are depraved and sadistic," Kristin DeJournett, a PETA cruelty caseworker, said in a faxed message to the district attorney.

Deiss said that he had completely forgotten the video, which he made almost a year ago. He said that he had bought the rabbits as food for his two boa constrictors and that he has since given the dog, a pug, to a family.

Farrah Emami, a spokesman for the district attorney, said that the video shows the animals looking dazed after being thrown up into the air and falling on the ground. But she said that none seem to have been killed.