If you grew up watching Bambi, you'll remember the heart wrenching scene that made you vow never to forgive deer poachers for the rest of your natural-born life. Well, one deer poacher in Missouri will be forced to face the consequences of his actions directly over the course of his 120-day sentence.
An investigation into poaching earlier this year in Southwest Missouri led to the capture and trial of a family of four who'd killed hundreds of deer illegally.
"The deer were trophy bucks taken illegally, mostly at night, for their heads, leaving the bodies of the deer to waste," said Lawrence County Prosecuting Attorney Don Trotter on court record.
In addition to the sentence of 120 days in Lawrence County Jail, the sentence of one David Berry Jr. includes the provision that the defendant "is to view the Walt Disney movie Bambi, with the first viewing being on or before December 23, 2018, and at least one such viewing each month thereafter, during Defendants incarceration in the Lawrence County Jail."
Yes, that's right. Part of his punishment is to watch Bambi. Now, that movie messed us up as a kid.
We all remember the scene.
Disney's Bambi - Mother's Deathwww.youtube.com
We are so sorry.
People are debating whether or not the punishment is "cruel and unusual."
It took a multi-year investigation by the state to catch the four people charged in the case, involving several suspects all across the midwest.
"It is unknown how many deer the main group of suspects has taken illegally over the past several years," Lawrence County Conservation Agent Andy Barnes said. "It would be safe to say that several hundred deer were taken illegally."
The state was particularly horrified by this case because only the deers' heads were harvested from the hunting sites.
"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, MDC 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."
We sincerely hope being subjected to the saddest film scene of all time will give him a change of heart.
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