Man sparks outrage after posting footage of him attacking a federally protected pelican – which could see him charged with animal cruelty
- Hunter Hardesty appeared to attack a federally protected pelican in Key West
- Hardesty posted footage on his Facebook page with many condemning him
- He jumps into water on top of the pelican and is seen holding him and laughing
- The pelican then snaps at his face, manages to break free and then flies away
- The Davidsonville, Maryland man could now face animal cruelty charges
A man could be charged after a video showed him attacking a protected pelican in Key West, Florida.
Hunter Hardesty from Davidsonville, Maryland posted footage on his Facebook page with many people condemning him for his actions.
The video, posted on March 7, starts and shows Hardesty appearing to lean over a harbor’s edge holding out something in his hand.
Hunter Hardesty posted footage on his Facebook page after jumping into water in Key West and appearing to attack a federally protected pelican
The pelican floats closer and Hardesty appears to jump into the water on top of the pelican, causing both to sink beneath the water’s surface.
Hardesty then grabs the large bird with two hands while others not pictured on camera can be heard laughing.
A woman in the background tells him: ‘If you don’t get out of there right now I’m going to call security. Knock this party off right now.’
The bird appears visibly distressed and as Hardesty holds on to him, as his friends laugh from a jetty.
The pelican then snaps at the man with is beak before flying off to another area.
Social media users Many blasted at the stunt on Hardesty’s Facebook page, branding it cruel and stating they had reported him to Florida law enforcement.
A post from Hardesty on Friday read: ‘The book blowin up on a Friday !! Sheesh.’
Dennis John Deevy Jr wrote: ‘We need to get a petition to have this MF charged.’
Hardesty, (left) , first reaches into the water with something in his hand and then jumps in and lands on top of the bird, (right)
Hardesty, (left), in seen laughing as he holds the pelican before it faces towards him, (right)
The pelican then snaps at the man’s face in a bid to escape and is later seen flying away
Another person claimed: ‘Can you spell J-A-I-L ????.
Sherry Zmmerland Frolich wrote: ‘Idiot!! I do hope you serve time. I also hope that smack in the face left a mark … a BIG one.’
The investigative department of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident.
It is working with the state’s attorneys to determine what charges might be appropriate, said Officer Bobby Dube, a spokesman for the commission’s Florida Keys division.
‘We never want to harm wildlife, and that’s what he was doing,’ Dube said. ‘He was enticing the pelican and then jumped on it.’
Hardesty, from Davidsonville, Maryland, could face animal cruelty charges for his actions
Dube said the footage appeared to take place at the Key West Seaport and features a brown pelican.
That species is protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Florida state law, which prohibit people from feeding or molesting the bird, he said.
Authorities are considering whether animal cruelty charges are appropriate, Dube said.
Fox Baltimore reported that Hardesty was previously arrested along with one other for assaulting and robbing a person outside a bar.
Police responded to the robbery incident at a bar called in Crofton, Maryland.
Police found two men hiding behind a dumpster and the victim identified them as his attackers.
Hardesty and Eugene George Morris III, 24, of Edgewater, were later arrested.
Hardesty was charged with robbery, second-degree assault, theft, destruction of property and resisting arrest.