Judge Orders Deer Poacher to Watch ‘Bambi’ Once a Month

A judge in Missouri has sentenced a convicted deer poacher to sit down and watch Disney’s Bambi once a month, during his year-long prison sentence.

Lawrence County resident David Berry, Jr., was handed the unusual sentencing requirement upon his conviction for illegally killing deer in the state over the past few years.

Missouri conservation agents have been gathering evidence against Berry and several members of his family for several years and say that the convictions won from the case put an end to the largest poaching operation in the state, according to the Springfield News-Ledger.’

According to court records, Berry, Jr., is required to “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.”

Berry, Jr., was convicted along with two members of his family and several acquaintances. Berry, though, was the only one required to watch the film.

The group was accused of killing the animals and then removing their heads as trophies while leaving the rest to rot where it laid. Officials said they did not know how many hundreds of animals were killed during the multi-year investigation.

Along with his poaching conviction, Berry, Jr., will also have to serve another four months in a separate case on a firearms violation.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.