What to know
- An Ontario man named Mitchell Fairbarn has been convicted of animal cruelty after stealing a flamingo from a Las Vegas hotel.
- His brazen actions stemmed from the reported 30 to 40 beers he consumed in the 24 hours prior to stealing the bird.
- At sentencing, Fairbarn can face up to a possible four years in prison for felony animal cruelty and six-months for misdemeanor theft.
An Ontario man has been convicted of animal cruelty after stealing a live flamingo from a Las Vegas hotel.
On a trip to Las Vegas earlier this year in March for Con Expo, 34-year-old Mitchell Fairbarn snatched a live Chilean flamingo named Peachy from its enclosure at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and carried the bird back to his hotel room. His brazen actions reportedly stemmed from the 30 to 40 beers he consumed in the 24 hours leading up to the incident.
After getting caught, he said was drunk, sleep-deprived, and thought it would be “something that we could joke about for the rest of our lives.”
“I thought it would be, at the time, funny,” Fairbarn admitted.
His trial started last week in Las Vegas for charges pertaining to felony animal cruelty and misdemeanor theft. At sentencing, Fairbarn could face up to four years in prison for the felony charge, and six-months for the misdemeanor.
In a video shared online by Las Vegas news channel 8 News Now, the Ontarian can be seen holding Peachy by the neck as he brought the bird back to his room in the hotel elevator.
After safely catching Peachy, veterinarians found the flamingo suffered extensive injuries — including missing feathers, broken feather shafts, and blood loss — and needed antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and weeks of pain medication, according to 8 News Now.
While sitting in court on Friday, Fairbank denied any ill intent in stealing Peachy, saying it was just a drunken act and he didn’t mean any harm. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.
The Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel wildlife habitat, which houses flamingoes, other birds, turtles, and fish, is home to the Chilean Flamingo, the same species Fairbarn stole.
