Image copyright Lawrence County Sheriff's Office Image caption David Berry Jr must watch the film once a month every month he is in prison

A poacher has been ordered to watch the Disney film Bambi repeatedly after he was convicted of illegally killing "hundreds" of deer.

Missouri hunter David Berry Jr must view the film at least once a month during his year-long sentence.

He was arrested in August along with two family members for killing the deer, taking their heads and leaving their bodies to rot, prosecutors said.

It is reportedly one of the biggest poaching cases in Missouri history.

On top of the jail sentence for the illegal deer hunting, Judge Robert George ordered Berry Jr to "view the Walt Disney movie Bambi, with the first viewing being on or before December 23, 2018, and at least one such viewing each month thereafter," during his spell in prison.

The 1942 cartoon about woodland creatures shows a hunter kill the mother of eponymous deer character Bambi.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Prosecutors believed "several hundred" deer could have been killed

A months-long investigation spanning several states led to the arrest of Berry Jr, his father David Berry Sr and his brother Kyle Berry, according to local newspaper the Springfield News-Leader.

While the total number of deer taken illegally is unknown, Lawrence County's conservation agent Andy Barnes said it could be "several hundred".

Berry Jr received a year-long sentence in Lawrence County prison after pleading guilt to illegally taking wildlife.

He has also been sentenced to a 120-day term in Barton County prison for a firearms probation violation, and both he and his father had their hunting privileges revoked for life by the Missouri Conservation Commission.

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