Judge forces convicted deer poacher to watch 'Bambi' once a month in jail

A deer poacher sentenced to a year in prison will have to watch the Disney classic Bambi at least once a month for the duration of his incarceration, a judge in Missouri has ruled.

David Berry Jr., and three other members of his family, including his father, were at the centre of one of the biggest poaching cases in the state’s history.

It’s thought that hundreds of deer were killed illegally over several years.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that Berry must ‘view the Walt Disney movie ‘Bambi,’ with the first viewing being on or before Dec. 23, 2018, and at least one such viewing each month thereafter, during Defendants incarceration in the Lawrence County Jail’.

“The deer were trophy bucks taken illegally, mostly at night, for their heads, leaving the bodies of the deer to waste,” Prosecuting Attorney Don Trotter said.

Lawrence County Conservation Agent Andy Barnes added: “It is unknown how many deer the main group of suspects has taken illegally over the past several years.

“It would be safe to say that several hundred deer were taken illegally.”

Berry Jr. was also given an additional 120 day sentence for a felony firearms probation violation.

“In situations like this, with serial poachers who have no regard for the animals, rules of fair chase, or aren’t bothered by the fact that they’re stealing from others, it’s all about greed and ego,” said Randy Doman, Missouri Department of Conservation Protection Division Chief.

“Taking just the heads is their version of obtaining a ‘trophy’ and leaving the carcass behind is merely an afterthought. While there are some cases where poachers go after the antlers for profit, with this bunch it was more about the thrill of the kill itself.”

Read more
How Bumblebee links to Transformers
Dick Van Dyke says he paid Disney to be in Mary Poppins
How Mary Poppins Returns reinvents the nanny