Drunk Vegas tourist faces four years in prison after kidnapping flamingo from casino and taking it to his room
Por Jessica Hill — – World RSS Feed
Drunk Vegas tourist faces four years in prison after kidnapping flamingo from casino and taking it to his room
State prosecutors characterized the incident as a malicious act, while defense lawyers maintained it was an act of drunken foolishness
Jessica Hill Tuesday 20 October 2026 10:57 BST
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A Nevada jury has convicted a Canadian tourist of felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges after he snatched a 27-year-old Chilean flamingo named Peachy from its habitat at a Las Vegas hotel.
State prosecutors characterized the incident as a malicious act, while defense lawyers maintained it was an act of drunken foolishness rather than an intentional effort to injure the bird.
Mitchell Fairbarn, a resident of Ontario, Canada, removed the bird from its enclosure inside the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino on March 3 before taking it to his guest room. Jurors deliberated for approximately five hours on Monday before returning guilty verdicts on both counts.
open image in galleryFairbarn remains under house arrest pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for Dec. 1. He faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison for the felony conviction, alongside a potential six-month term for the misdemeanor charge.
Showing no visible emotion, Fairbarn declined to speak with reporters as he departed the courtroom with his wife.
His attorney also declined to comment following the verdict.
Peachy has recovered physically from the incident, but the bird displays heightened nervousness and anxiety during medical checkups, according to Dr. Tiffany Moore, medical director at Lone Mountain Animal Hospital.
open image in galleryProsecutors argued to the jury that Fairbarn deliberately inflicted pain and distress on the animal, pointing to feathers found scattered on the hotel floor. Video footage showed the bird squawking while being handled, and prosecutors stated that Peachy suffered pain when dragged by its feet.
Surveillance footage shown at trial recorded Fairbarn holding the flamingo inside an elevator and walking down a hallway at the resort. The Flamingo is among the oldest properties on the Las Vegas Strip, and its prominent wildlife habitat also houses turtles, koi, hummingbirds, and other species.
Las Vegas police were dispatched after resort security reported the bird missing. When officers recovered Peachy, the flamingo had lost seven to eight feathers, had blood on its plumage, and sustained wing injuries.
Defense attorney Josh Tomsheck described the incident as a foolish mistake driven by alcohol, asserting that his client never intended to harm the flamingo—a key requirement for the felony charge.
“He should not have done that, should not have gone into the habitat, shouldn’t have touched a bird, shouldn’t have taken Peachy inside,” Tomsheck told the court. “The truth is, Mitch was drunk. Mitch was stupid. He made bad decisions.”
open image in galleryAt one point during the proceedings, Fairbarn sat at the defense table with his head lowered into his hands.
Clark County prosecutor Haley Willming told the court that Fairbarn received death threats following the incident and was unable to leave the country when his father died while awaiting trial. While acknowledging those difficulties, the prosecutor stated that “none of that would have happened had he not done what he did, had he not made the choices he made.”
Nevada animal rights advocate John Waudby, who recently helped strengthen state animal cruelty laws, said he believed justice had been served.
“I hope this sends a message to anybody else that wants to mess with our animals, that you’re not going to do it in Nevada,” he said outside the courtroom.
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Las VegasNevadaOntarioCanadaChileClark County
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