A man from Los Angeles has been sentenced for animal cruelty after he posted a video of himself giving alcohol to a hawk.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Cesar Gustavo Diaz gave a young Cooper’s hawk a BuzzBallz mixed cocktail. Wildlife officials said he had captured the bird at Amelia Mayberry Park in Whittier, California, KTLA reported.
Cooper’s hawks, according to the agency, are protected by both California and federal law.
The CDFW was alerted to the 2025 incident by members of the community after they saw a YouTube video, KNBC reported. Those tips prompted an investigation by the agency’s Special Operations Unit.
One still from his video reads “Hanging out with the homie,” while another reads “Hawk loves him some buz ball,” the CDFW said.
Wildlife officials said he released the hawk before they could intervene and that the bird’s condition was not known.
Diaz pleaded no contest in Los Angeles County Superior Court to the misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and capturing wildlife. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail with credit for time served and 12 months of probation, KTLA reported.
He served 44 of the 45 days before sentencing, NBC News reported.
A judge also ordered Diaz to complete 20 days of community labor, attend a 24-session animal cruelty counseling program, be prohibited from possessing animals for five years, no gun possession for 10 years and pay a $220 fine, the CDFW said.