Maryland Man Appears to Attack Key West Pelican in Viral Video, Facebook Goes Nuts

A Maryland man posted a video on Facebook that appears to show him attacking a pelican in Key West, prompting extensive criticism, the Miami Herald reported. The video was posted March 7 to a Facebook page which is under the name Hunter Hardesty, an electrician from Davidson, Maryland. In the video, Hardesty appears to jump onto the pelican as the bird struggles to get away. The bird bit Hardesty in the face during the struggle. A person who’s not in the footage is heard laughing in the background. “Yea they bite hard !!!” Hardesty wrote on the post. Commenters seized upon Hardesty, with one posting “Don’t ever come back to Key West you f------g idiot! You’re not wanted here doing s--t like that!!!” Florida rules bar even trying to feed pelicans. When asked for comment on Facebook messenger, Hardesty first replied “$.” Asked for clarification, he replied: “Pay me.”