Owl Mascot Kicked to Death by Soccer Player

Frequently depicted as icons of mystery, wisdom, nobility and spirituality, some cultures worship owls while others consider these beautiful birds to have an ominous meaning. Owls appear as characters in children's books such as "Harry Potter" and "Winnie the Pooh", and are portrayed with spiders and bats on Halloween as scary creatures. So my heart sank when I learned about the most famous Barn Owl in Colombia, who died shortly after being viciously kicked several days ago during a game, by Soccer player, Panamanian defender Luis Moreno, age 29, of Deportivo Pereira. The bird lived with a group of owls on the roof of Atletico Junior's Roberto Melendez stadium and was the mascot of the Barranquilla club Atletico Junior during a Colombian Champion match. What makes this heartbreaking incident even more distressing and enraging is that Moreno purposefully approached the stunned bird lying on the field -- after being accidentally injured with the ball -- issuing a fatal blow to the owl, punting it with a powerful kick. Both opponents and team-mates looked on, watching the entire incident with disbelief. Local fans were outraged and shouted "Murderer" at the player. During an interview, according to Reuters, trying to apologize for his violent action, Moreno justified his sad behavior by saying "I was not trying to hurt the owl. I did it to see if it would fly. What I wanted to do was get it off the field. The kick was a product of tension on the field at the time." Following treatment the owl mascot appeared to be improving, but a report issued by the local press, "Triunfo", said attending veterinarian, Camilo Tapia commented that the bird "went into a state of shock and died". In Colombia, animal cruelty laws can punish offenders with sentences of up to three months in jail that many people are hoping Moreno will receive. Enraged local activists are also urging league officials to permanently expel Moreno from the team. Marcela Ramirez, president of Colombia's Society for the Protection of Animals told Radio Caracol, "We demand that Dimayor and Deportivo Perreira immediately sever ties with this player. No excuse is enough; it's an act that has no justification whatsoever." Barranquilla environmental authorities have launched administrative proceedings against Moreno for possible animal abuse charges. According to authorities, Moreno faces anything from a fine to 45 days in jail. Pereira officials have announced sanctions against Moreno, which the Colombian League will most likely do as well. Moreno's pleas for forgiveness certainly falls on the deaf ears of this writer, after watching the graphic and highly disturbing video uploaded to YouTube by H2FixJoRdAnxiMLG. What type punishment does Moreno deserve if he is found guilty? Leave a comment and share your opinion. Image Source: Flickr user myoldpostcards