A Canadian tourist is facing charges after police said he abducted a flamingo from a resort, taking it to his hotel room.
Mitchell Fairbarn was arrested last week.
Police said he was drunk when he went into an enclosure at the Flamingo Hotel and grabbed a bird named Peachy, KSNV reported.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said in the arrest report that a video showed Fairbarn choking the Flamingo and throwing it to the ground several times.
Fairbarn told police he entered the bird habitat but said a flamingo was in distress. He told police that he “popped” the bird’s wing back in place, KLAS reported.
He told police that it is common to do that with birds like ducks and he knows how to because he is a “farm boy.”
Dr. Tiffany Moore from Lone Mountain Animal Hospital treated Peachy after the incident.
“When I saw Peachy, he was bright and alert and responsive, and he was stable, but there were some minor injuries to his wings,” she told KSNV.
“There were a couple blood feathers that were injured and we took care of that with pain meds to help support because it is painful, very similar to ripping off a fingernail,” she explained.
She said that animals such as Peachy could suffer from capture myopathy caused by extreme stress. The condition could be deadly. Peachy, she said, did not show signs of it.
“As of right now, he’s alert, he’s doing well. His feisty personality is coming back, so we’re really happy to see that it looks like he is going to make a full recovery,” Moore told KSNV.
Caesars, which owns the Flamingo Hotel, released a statement to KLAS, which read:
“We are aware of the deeply distressing incident involving a guest who was arrested for breaking into our wildlife habitat and assaulting our flamingos. The safety and well-being of our iconic flock are of the utmost importance to us, and we will be pursuing charges against this individual to the fullest extent possible.
“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. We remain hopeful they will make a full recovery.
“We are grateful to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and to our security and animal care teams for their swift response. We appreciate the outpouring of concern from our guests and the community, and we remain focused on supporting the continued recovery of these remarkable birds.”
Fairbarn is charged with four felony counts of animal abuse, KLAS reported.
© 2025 Cox Media Group
