Tourist allegedly stole live flamingo from Vegas hotel, took selfies while ‘choking’ it
A tourist from Ontario, Canada, was arrested after allegedly stealing a flamingo from a popular Las Vegas hotel and harming the bird while taking selfies in his hotel room, police said.
Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, reportedly took Peachy, a Chilean flamingo, from an enclosure at the Flamingo hotel on the Las Vegas Strip early Tuesday morning. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, surveillance footage shows Fairbarn grabbing the bird by the neck, laughing, and saying, “I’m taking it home!” around 5 a.m.
Police said Fairbarn carried the three-foot bird to the 14th floor of the hotel, where he attempted to “pop” the flamingo’s injured wing back into place, causing Peachy to require stitches. “He stated he knows that ‘popping’ the wing back into its place is a common practice for birds, such as ducks, because he is a farm boy,” a police report noted.
Video also reportedly shows Fairbarn and an accomplice chasing Peachy through a hotel hallway and handling the bird roughly for photos. Officers later discovered a large bloody feather in the room.
Fairbarn was charged with torturing, maiming, or killing an animal, and his bail was set at $12,000.
Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns the hotel, said Peachy and two other injured flamingos are receiving veterinary care, and officials are hopeful all will fully recover. “Our beloved birds, including Peachy, who was cruelly taken from the habitat, are currently in the care of dedicated veterinarians and our extraordinary Flamingo animal care team,” the company said.
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