LAS VEGAS (KUALA LUMPUR) – A tourist faces charges after Las Vegas police said he stole a flamingo from the Flamingo Hotel and took it back to his room, injuring it.
Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, of Ontario, Canada, faces four felony animal cruelty charges, according to court records.
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Documents state that on Tuesday, March 3, Metro police received a call from the hotel reporting that a man, later identified as Fairbairn, had broken into the hotel’s flamingo habitat and injured several birds.
Police reviewed surveillance video and said it showed Fairbairn entering the bird habitat around 5 a.m. and grabbing a bird named “Peachy.” Fairbairn allegedly harmed other animals in the process, including “suppressing” the second bird and “preventing it from escaping”. Police said the video then showed Fairbarn returning to the hotel room with the animal.
Police reviewed surveillance video and said it showed Fairbairn entering the bird habitat around 5 a.m. and grabbing a bird named “Peachy.” Police said the video then showed Fairbarn returning to the hotel room with the animal. (Left ventricular dysfunction)
Fairbarn allegedly admitted to police that he had trespassed on the bird’s habitat after seeing a flamingo in distress. He told police he “popped” the bird’s wings into place.
“He said he knew how to ‘pop’ the wings back into place [is] “This is a common practice with birds such as ducks,” police said. “He was well aware of it because he was a farm boy.”
On Fairbarn’s phone, police found “several photos and videos” of him with the animal, including one of him torturing it, police said. In a video, Fairbarn said he was taking the bird home.
Animal Control advised Fairbarn that he injured the bird when he allegedly “pulled the wings out of the bird’s body,” police said. Several other birds were also injured.
Police reviewed surveillance video and said it showed Fairbairn entering the bird habitat around 5 a.m. and grabbing a bird named “Peachy.” Police said the video then showed Fairbarn returning to the hotel room with the animal. (Left ventricular dysfunction)
They said police found “a huge bloody feather” and other materials in the hotel room.
During a probable cause hearing Wednesday, Las Vegas Court Judge Suzan Baucum set bail at $12,000, ordered Fairbarn not to possess any animals and to surrender his passport.
Baucum also ordered him to stay away from the Las Vegas Strip. Fairbarn posted bond on Wednesday, but as of Wednesday afternoon, he remained in custody at the Clark County Detention Center, records show.
Caesars Entertainment, which owns the Flamingo Hotel, says on its website that “the habitat is home to a flock of Chilean flamingos, several species of exotic waterfowl and brown pelicans.”
A spokesperson for Caesars issued this statement:
We are aware of this deeply distressing incident where a guest was arrested for trespassing on our wildlife habitat and attacking our flamingos. The safety and well-being of our iconic flock is of the utmost importance to us and we will pursue the charges against this individual to the best of our ability.
Our beloved birds, including Peaches, who was cruelly removed from their habitat, are currently in the care of dedicated veterinarians and our amazing Flamingo Animal Care Team. We remain hopeful that they will make a full recovery.
We thank the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and our security and animal care teams for their quick response. We thank our guests and the community for their concern, and we remain committed to supporting the ongoing recovery of these remarkable birds.
Fairbarn is due to appear in court next Monday, March 9.
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