A California man is in major trouble after feeding liquor to a protected hawk in a viral video. The video surfaced on YouTube, providing enough evidence to convict the man.
Courts have convicted the man to 45 days in jail and 12 months of probation. Previously, 25-year-old Cesar Gustavo Diaz pleaded no-contest to animal cruelty. He gave a juvenile Cooper's hawk some alcohol and filmed it. According to officials, he captured the animal while at Amelia Mayberry Park in South Whittier, California in June 2025.
They wrote, "A man has been sentenced in Los Angeles County Superior Court following an investigation into a case of animal cruelty involving a protected raptor."
California Man Feeds Hawk
The organization wrote, "In June 2025, Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25, of Watts, captured a juvenile Cooper's hawk at Amelia Mayberry Park in South Whittier. The case came to light after a video surfaced on YouTube showing Diaz pouring an alcoholic beverage into the bird's mouth."
They also wrote, "Concerned members of the public alerted CDFW, prompting an investigation by the Special Operations Unit. Wildlife officers executed five search warrants during the investigation. With the assistance of detectives from LASD Operation Safe Streets, Diaz, a convicted felon who was already in custody on unrelated charges, was identified and later interviewed. Diaz allegedly released the hawk prior to CDFW intervening."
