A Los Angeles man took peer pressure to an absurd and forceful level by supplying alcohol to a bird — and making it consume the beverage.
CBS News reported that Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25, admitted to pouring alcohol down the throat of a captured Cooper's hawk. A video shared across news sites depicts the act with annotations.
"Hawk loves him some buz ball," text in the clip reads.
BuzzBallz is a brand of ready-to-drink cocktails. The clip shows liquid from a ball-shaped container being poured into the bird's mouth.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said the act happened in June. Diaz was in custody for an unrelated matter when he was identified as the culprit behind the hawk video. He pleaded "no contest" to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, according to CBS.
Diaz was "sentenced to 45 days in L.A. County Jail, 12 months of probation and 20 days of community labor. He received time-served credit for his jail sentence," per the story.
Cooper's hawks are medium-sized birds with a range that spans the United States. They thrive in forests, woodlands, river edges, and coastlines, according to the National Audubon Society.
"Numbers declined in the mid-20th century, possibly owing to the effects of DDT and other pesticides. There has been some recovery since, and numbers are probably stable in most areas," Audubon wrote.
CBS added that the animal is protected under California and federal law.
Human-animal encounters can be bad enough when they happen by accident. Inside Climate News reported that changing weather patterns are increasing the likelihood of contact across a variety of ranges on land and at sea.
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Save $1,000 this year 💸 Willingly engaging with a wild animal is dangerous to both the person and creature — especially when alcohol is involved.
Fortunately, such acts come with repercussions.
Diaz "was also ordered to pay $220 in fines and to complete a 24-session animal cruelty counseling program," CBS reported.
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