Canadian Tourist Convicted of Felony Animal Cruelty After Removing Flamingo from Las Vegas Hotel Habitat

A Clark County jury on Oct. 19 convicted Mitchell Grant Fairbarn, a 34-year-old resident of Ontario, Canada, of one felony and one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty after he removed a Chilean flamingo named Peachy from the Flamingo Las Vegas hotel’s wildlife habitat and brought the bird to his 14th-floor room. Prosecutors said Fairbarn grabbed the bird by its legs and neck, dragged it, and caused injuries that required veterinary treatment.

Surveillance video from the habitat showed Fairbarn walking through the enclosure for about ten minutes while on a phone call, then entering a water feature before seizing the flamingo. During the trial, Fairbarn testified that he intended to show the bird to friends as a joke and did not plan to harm it, stating, "I thought it was something that we could joke about for the rest of our lives." He acknowledged that the bird was injured and that he had consumed a large amount of alcohol in the 24 hours before the incident.

Hotel staff discovered Peachy with abrasions on a wing and a possible open wound, prompting a veterinarian’s assessment that the flamingo required care but later recovered. Wyatt Mayhall, the resort’s flamingo facilities manager, testified that he found the bird shaking and wrapped it in a towel before taking it for treatment.

Clark County District Attorney Steven B. Wolfson praised the verdict, saying the flamingo was a defenseless animal that endured unnecessary suffering. Fairbarn faces up to four years in prison and six months in county jail, with sentencing scheduled for Dec. 1. His attorney has not responded to requests for comment.