LAS VEGAS — A Canadian tourist who stole a pink flamingo from a Las Vegas hotel was found guilty of animal cruelty by a Nevada jury Monday.
Clark County jurors found Mitchell Fairbarn, 34, of Ontario, guilty of one felony charge and one misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Prosecutors accused Fairbarn of injuring and frightening “Peachy,” a 27-year-old Chilean flamingo, when he removed the bird from its enclosure at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino on March 3, according to KLAS.
Surveillance video captured Fairburn carrying the screaming flamingo to his room, the TV station reported.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Haley Willming said Fairbarn admitted during the trial that he had no good reason to be in the flamingo enclosure and that Peachy, according to expert testimony, suffered pain and injuries, the Review-Journal reported.
“Peachy was the subject of amusement for (Fairbarn) and his friends,” Willming said. “Peachy was the butt of his big joke.”
Defense attorney Josh Tomsheck told jurors that Fairbarn deeply regretted the “bad decisions” he made while drunk, but added that he had no malicious intent when he took Peachy from his enclosure.
A Flamingo Las Vegas casino and hotel security guard was on a cigarette break during his shift at a cemetery when a voice crackled over the radio: “Someone took a flamingo.” 📎https://t.co/F1OZ4ftwiH https://t.co/kYZUjvU0co
– 8 News Now (@8NewsNow) October 15, 2026
“If he was a bad guy and this was his design and his plan and he wanted to kill Peachy, Peachy would be dead,” Tomsheck told jurors, according to the Review-Journal. “What we’re saying is it was stupid. It was fueled by drunkenness.”
Fairbarn testified that on March 3, he drank “30 to 40” beers in 24 hours while he was in Las Vegas for a construction expo, CBC News reported.
“I thought it was something we could joke about for the rest of our lives,” Fairbarn said.
Fairbarn entered the flamingo habitat at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino around 5 a.m. Pacific Time, the Review-Journal reported.
Video played during the trial showed Fairbarn holding the flamingo by the neck in an elevator and carrying it down a hotel hallway, according to KLAS. He spent about 15 minutes with the bird, and up to three minutes with it in its room, the television station reported.
According to the hotel’s website, its wildlife habitat covers 4 acres and is certified by the National Wildlife Federation.
Fairburn has been in custody since his arrest, according to KLAS. He faces up to 4 1/2 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 1, the Review-Journal reported.
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