Wolfing it down! Gruesome footage shows hunters hack flesh from wolf and eat it in Saudi Arabian desert

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A group of hunters filmed themselves eating a raw wolf moments after they killed it in some very gruesome footage posted online.

The video from Saudi Arabia emerged on YouTube and was met with much criticism from the group's fellow countrymen.

The footage was shot on a mobile phone and shows the hunters hacking the wolf carcass as it hangs from a wooden post by its back leg.

The hunters hack the wolf carcass as it hangs from a wooden post (left) before they pose with the meat (right)

The men are then seen removing chunks of flesh and eating the bloody meat while posing for the camera.

Writing online, one viewer said: 'This was pretty gross.

'It would have somehow been more acceptable - although I don't know how much more - if they had cooked the flesh. As it was they came across as barbarians.'

Local media reported that the men had killed the wolf in Al Jorfia near the Central Saudi city of Afif.

The men are then seen removing chunks of raw flesh and eating the bloody meat for the camera

It was also reported that some readers called on authorities to arrest those involved after watching the video.

The Arabian wolf, which appears to be the type featured in the clip, was once a desert wolf common across the region.

Today it is less frequently found in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, and areas of Iraq and Israel.

Of those counties, the wolves only have special protection in Oman and Israel - where they are more likely to be seen as an important part of the natural ecosystem.

Local media reported that people called on authorities to arrest those involved after watching the video