Missouri Deer Poacher Ordered to Repeatedly Watch 'Bambi' While in Jail

As punishment for illegally killing hundreds of deer, a Missouri man has been ordered by a judge to watch the Disney movie "Bambi" once a month during his one-year jail sentence.

David Berry Jr. was part of a family group arrested and convicted in one of the largest poaching cases in the state's history, authorities said.

"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, the Springfield News-Leader reported. 

Berry was arrested with his father, two brothers and another man who helped them. They had their hunting, fishing and trapping licenses suspended for life. They have paid a combined fine of $51,000. 

But Lawrence County Judge Robert George levied an extra punishment against Berry Jr. for illegally taking wildlife, saying he must "view the Walt Disney movie Bambi, with the first viewing being on or before Dec. 23, and at least one such viewing thereafter" in the county jail, according to court records.

The 1942 tear-jerking, animated classic follows the life of Bambi, a young deer whose mother is killed by a hunter.

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