A man has been sentenced to watch Disney’s ‘Bambi’ "at least" once a month for a whole year, after being caught illegally hunting hundreds of deer.

29-year-old David Berry Jr, from Brookline, Missouri, has been ordered to watch the animated film every month during his year-long incarceration.

Berry Jr, alongside his father and brothers, was busted for a multi-year poaching scheme that state officials say was one of the biggest cases ever in Missouri’s history.

The men were found guilty of violating numerous hunting laws including hunting out of season, using prohibited weapons like lights to temporarily blind deer, and killing the deer while cruising from inside a moving vehicle.

Lawrence County Prosecuting Attorney Don Trotter said: “The deer were trophy bucks taken illegally, mostly at night, for their heads, leaving the bodies of the deer to waste."

Berry pleaded guilty to to taking wildlife illegally and received a sentence of a year in prison.

In addition to the incarceration, Lawrence County Judge Robert George ordered Berry to “view the Walt Disney movie Bambi , with the first viewing being on or before 23 December, 2018, and at least one such viewing each month thereafter” during his time in jail.

In the 1942 classic film, Bambi’s mother is famously slaughtered by a hunter, leaving the baby fawn alone to fend for itself.

"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, as reported by Springfield News-Leader.

"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."

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