Canadian who took a flamingo from a Las Vegas hotel is convicted of animal cruelty

Mitchell Fairbarn, 34, of Ontario, took a 27-year-old Chilean flamingo named Peachy from the habitat at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino on Mar 3 and carried it to his room.

A Nevada jury convicted him on felony and misdemeanour animal cruelty counts after about five hours of deliberation. When found, the bird was missing feathers and had injuries to its wings, authorities said.

“The truth is, Mitch was drunk. Mitch was stupid. He made bad decisions.”

— Josh Tomsheck, Fairbarn's lawyer

Las Vegas, Nevada

Fairbarn remains under house arrest in Las Vegas until his sentencing on Dec 1. He faces up to four years in prison for the felony and possibly six more months for the misdemeanour.