This is the sickening moment an influencer laughs as he kicks a live rat to death in a supermarket in Brazil.

Social media star Tatao Art was filmed by sniggering pals after spotting the rodent scurrying through the store in Niteroi, near Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.

His post of the moment shows him running up to the rat as if he were taking a football free kick.

As his foot connects, the unsuspecting rodent is sent flying through the air into a wall above a woman with a shopping trolly while he and his friends laugh loudly.

The footage then cuts to the dead rat’s body lying on the supermarket floor.

In a bid to get extra laughs and likes by the time it emerged on social media on 4th June a soundtrack from a football match penalty goal had been added.

But the stunt backfired with many watchers accusing Tatao Art of cruelty.

One asked: “Aren’t you ashamed of doing this to a living being?”

The Uni Atacadista supermarket later apologised for a rat being found in their store.

They said : “We are deeply concerned about the incident and have already begun a complete review of our hygiene and pest control protocols.

“Our goal is to ensure a safe and clean environment for all our customers.”

Expert biologist Mariana Silva told local media: “The presence of rodents in commercial establishments is a serious public health problem.

“It is crucial that markets adopt preventive measures, such as regular inspections and strict waste control.”