A Canadian man has been found guilty of animal cruelty after he took a flamingo from its enclosure in Las Vegas and brought it back to his hotel room during an alcohol-fuelled bender. Mitchell Fairbarn, who was visiting the US city, took the Chilean flamingo named Peachy from the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in March.
Incident Details
Videos shown at his trial revealed a smiling Fairbarn carrying the bird by the neck as he took a lift to his room. He testified that he had consumed 30 to 40 beers before the incident and claimed he never intended to harm the animal. Fairbarn now faces nearly five years in prison.
Animal experts testified that the flamingo had feathers torn out and suffered blood loss due to Fairbarn's actions. His lawyer, Josh Tomsheck, argued that Fairbarn's actions were intended as a harmless prank and attributed his behavior to alcohol, stating:
