Department of Conservation investigating video of deer being beaten in Phelps County
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A video of a man beating up a hurt deer posted on social media has garnered attention and now the Missouri Department of Conservation is investigating.
The video posted on Facebook at around 8:30 p.m. Saturday is a screen recording of a Snapchat video showing a hurt deer lying on the side of the road. The post claims the men involved are from Rolla.
The video shows a man walking toward a deer lying on the side of the road that has blood coming from its mouth. The man is heard saying "f**k this stupid thing" as he walks towards it.
Once the man approaches the deer, he strikes the deer in the head about three times while yelling more expletives at the animal and saying it jumped out in front of him.
The man then shows the deer, which has blood coming from its nose and a cut on its forehead. It's eyes are partially closed.
Another man can be heard saying, "Hold my phone so I can cut its throat."
The next clip shows the deer upright standing next to the road. The man recording says to the deer "What the f**k are you doing bro? You just hit the damn truck and you're just going to walk off?"
The man kicks the deer. The deer then runs off into the distance while the man laughs. The other man says "you just lost the deer meat," the man recording then says "f**k this stupid thing" before starting to run in the direction the deer ran. The video cuts off after that.
In an email to ABC 17 News, a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Conservation says the agency is aware of the incident and is investigating. The spokesperson provided no other information.
When the conservation department's agents complete an investigation, any recommendations for criminal charges will go through the appropriate county prosecutor.
The Phelps County Sheriff's Office and Rolla Police deferred to the conservation department for information about the investigation.
The video has gotten 793 shares, 372 reactions and 672 comments on Facebook as of 6 p.m. Tuesday. A commenter on the post tagged the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said in Missouri, it is illegal to intentionally inflict suffering on an animal.
"Normally, that's a misdemeanor, it's punishable by up to a year in jail or up to a $2,000 fine," Johnson said. "But, if you inflict torture or mutilation on an animal while you're causing suffering, it actually is a felony, in Missouri, you could go to prison for up to four years."
