A man from Palm Beach, Florida, United States has been accused of abusing a bird that comes under one of the threatened species of the state. The man has been arrested and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail after the incident, according to a report from Channel 8.
According to the Florida Wildlife Conservation (FWC), the man named Michael Bochicchio from Palm Beach County was spotted chasing a Sandhill Crane in Jupiter close to Military Trail. Local witnesses said that Mr Bochicchio allegedly grabbed the bird's neck and started plucking its feathers, the outlet further reported.
The witnesses tried their best to stop Mr Bochicchio from chasing the bird. One of the eyewitnesses told wildlife officials that he asked them whether they wanted to keep the feathers by holding them up to their face.
The Sandhill Cranes comes under the threatened species of Florida. According to FWC, there are restrictions for touching, or removing any parts from the threatened or endangered species in the state of Florida.
According to WPBF 25 News, for the criminal accusation against him, Mr Bochicchio has been charged to deposit $1,000 for his bail. He is now banned from going back to the scene of the incident because of the bond's requirements.
Christian Mason, the operations director at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, told WPBF News, "You are not allowed to harass them, in any way. We need to keep a safe, respectful distance. You're not supposed to be feeding them. They can't be hunted."
