Man who tortured pelican and played with its decapitated head sentenced to community service

A Steinbach man who tortured a pelican by force feeding it fish, hitting it, and playing with its dead decapitated body was sentenced at a Selkirk court on July 25.

Cazden Harder, 20, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty causing it pain or injury in relation to the Aug. 1, 2024 incident.

Harder said in his statement to conservation officers that “it would be a great idea, and it would be funny,” said Crown attorney Jody Woligroski.

“This shows a lack of remorse,” said Woligroski. “This was a defenseless animal. There was no provocation.”

Harder and Cohen Epp, co-accused, were fishing near Lockport Dam, in an area with signs posted that it was illegal to fish there to protect the pelicans in the area.

Conservation officers received a complaint about two people fishing in the prohibited area and the two 20-year-olds received a ticket.

Conservation received a video of Harder and Epp killing a pelican on Aug. 14.

Harder threw fish to the group of pelicans to lure them towards him and his friend. Epp dove into the group of pelicans and grabbed its neck and brought it to Harder, court heard. Harder struck the pelican on top of its bill.

“Harder and Epp attacked the bird for no apparent reason,” said Woligroski.

The pelican tried to bite Harder because he was taunting him with fish and both men hit the pelican again, court heard. Epp forced a fish in the pelican’s mouth while Harder shook its head, holding its bill close to force the fish to go down its throat.

Court heard the two men cranked its beak open and forced the pelican to swallow a large catfish. With the pelican’s beak open they forcefully pulled the pelican up and down because the fish was stuck in its throat.

The catfish’s tail hung out of the bird’s mouth, said Woligroski.

White Pelicans are protected animals, so people are not allowed to hunt, trap, take, or kill them, according to The Wildlife Act.

Epp yanked the pelican from Harder’s hand and went behind a concrete wall out of sight from the video. After, he throws a headless body of a pelican south toward the sloped fish ladder, court heard.

A fish ladder is a structure allowing fish to pass over an obstacle.

Harder picked up its severed head by its bill, scooped water with the detached head, and hit Epp with it, court heard.

Both men played with the pelican’s lifeless body by throwing it upstream and retrieving it as it flowed back down. Harder held the pelican’s body underwater several times.

Woligroski was seeking 90 days in custody and a 10-year animal prohibition for Harder.

“It wasn’t his intention,” said defence lawyer Gerri Wiebe.

Wiebe said from Harder’s perspective he was feeding the bird and when the fish got stuck in its throat his friend went behind the wall to put it out of its misery.

Harder confessed the pelican’s neck broke, they disposed of the body to get rid of the evidence, court heard.

Harder attended Steinbach Regional Secondary School where he played lots of sports. He recently got married and is expecting his first child in January 2026, said Wiebe. He goes to Southland Church.

Wiebe said Harder’s dream is to build a car dealership, and having a criminal record will be a deterrent to start a business.

Wiebe recommended a sentence of up to a $2,000 fine or a year of probation and community service.

“I may not have been the one that caught nor killed the pelican, but I am and always have been a leader, not a follower. I could’ve stopped it at any given moment,” Harder said.

He said once the charges were given, it was a “humbling” experience.

“What you did was very wrong,” said Judge Vincent Sinclair.

Sinclair sentenced Harder with 12 months of supervised probation of 100 hours of community service.

Court heard Harder and Epp are not friends anymore.