A man who decided it’d be a good idea to catch a young Cooper’s hawk, take photos of it with a joint in its beak, and pour alcohol down the hawk’s throat got hit with animal-cruelty charges. He also posted a video of his crime on YouTube. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife shared screenshots of Cesar Gustavo Diaz’s video and announced the outcome of its investigation.
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In the end, officials charged Diaz with misdemeanor animal cruelty and capturing/confining wildlife. His sentence is 12 months of summary probation, 45 days in jail, 20 days of community labor, a 24-session animal-cruelty counseling program, a five-year prohibition on possessing animals, a 10-year firearm prohibition, and a $220 payment.
See the incriminating screenshots of Diaz pouring alcohol down a hawk’s throat here:
Header stock image by Alain Lemoyne/Getty Images
