Pro Golfer Tripp Isenhour Kills Hawk with Golf Ball

At a December TV taping for the show "Shoot Like a Pro" at an Orlando, Fla., resort, pro-golfer Tripp Isenhour killed a red-shouldered hawk with a golf ball because its singing kept interrupting his taping.

According to witnesses, Isenhour drove around a lake with his golf cart nearer to where the hawk was singing, and then shot ball after ball at the bird until, on the tenth try, he hit it. The bird fell about 30 feet to the ground and subsequently died.

Jethro Senger, a sound engineer who witnessed the events, stated in a report from the Orlando Sentinel, "The bird was on his back, bleeding from his nostrils, his mouth was opening and closing slowly, and it was looking up at me as people ran over. I saw its eyes slowly close, and I was pretty sure that the bird had died."

Isenhour now faces misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird, carrying penalties of up to 14 months in jail and $10,000 in fines.

The PGA has stated that they don't comment on pending litigation, and PGA spokesperson Joel Shuchmann told the Orlando Sentinel that any discipline of Isenhour would not be made public.

In a written apology distributed by the PGA, Isenhour stated that he is an animal lover because he and his family have adopted three cats.

I'm not really sure what's more disturbing in this case: the fact that a 39-year-old, presumably well educated adult spent that much time trying to "scare away" a bird, or that the man has children who are watching his every move like -- well, like a hawk. Pardon the pun.

I could see if the man was annoyed that his taping might take longer than necessary because of the bird's singing. I could justify his jumping around and screaming at the bird to scare it away. I might even be able to forgive him shooting one ball at the bird to frighten it from the filming location.

But let's face it. The man took swing after swing until he finally hit the bird. What's even worse is that the poor creature likely suffered quite a bit of pain before it died.

Tripp Isenhour deserves much more than a $10,000 fine. While I won't go so far as to say he should be jailed, I do think this act of supreme idiocy should carry with it a penalty much stiffer than $10,000. I mean, the man earned $471,000 last year alone. The fine of $10,000 is pocket change.

Further, he should be required to donate money and/or time to some agency associated with preserving wildlife, like the National Audubon Society. Clearly, he needs to learn that as an adult he should behave with much more respect to wild animals.

Isenhour may have been annoyed that the bird interrupted his taping, but I'm sure the bird was no less pleased that Isenhour and his film crew were scaring off any potential prey.

Sources
Pro golfer Tripp Isenhour kills hawk with golf ball, faces charges, Orlando Sentinel, Sarah Lundy, http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-bk-bird-030608,0,6335691.story

Isenhour faces criminal charges for killing hawk in tree with ball, PGA.com, Associated Press, http://www.pga.com/2008/news/industry/03/06/isenhour.ap/index.html

Professional golfer Tripp Isenhour issues apology, PGA.com, http://www.pgatour.com/2008/r/03/06/tripp_statement/index.html