Deer poacher ordered to watch Bambi once a month in jail

An American deer poacher has been ordered to watch Disney’s Bambi as part of his jail sentence.

David Berry Jr, from Missouri, USA, illegally killed hundreds of deer for their heads; leaving their bodies to waste. What’s worse, he used illegal weapons and tactics to do it.

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The 29-year-old, who was arrested in August, has now been sentenced to a year in jail; during which he must watch the Disney classic once a month.

The 1943 animation tells the tale of a young deer whose mother is killed by a hunter. The judge instructed Berry to watch the film at least once before December 23; and once a month thereafter.

“We’re talking in the hundreds of illegally killed deer over at least three years.”

As well as that, Berry has had his hunting rights revoked for life; with his behaviour being described by authorities as one of the biggest poaching cases in Missouri’s history.

He must also pay a fine of $51,000 with his father and two brothers; who were also involved in the illegal poaching of wildlife.

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“This was not hunting, this was poaching,” Chief Randy Doman of Missouri Department of Conservation Protection Division told NBC News. “We’re talking in the hundreds of illegally killed deer over at least three years.”

“They were so addicted to the kill, they showed total disregard for the rules of the chase.”

Speaking about the judge’s order to watch Bambi, Chief Randy Doman said, “They were so addicted to the kill, they showed total disregard for the rules of the chase. They were stealing from the wildlife resources of the citizens of Missouri, and this is the judge’s way of putting some perspective.”

Berry will carry out his sentence in the Lawrence County Jail.

Photo: Bambi, Disney 1943