A tourist is facing animal abuse charges after being accused of stealing and torturing a flamingo on a trip to Las Vegas. Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, from Ontario, Canada, was arrested on four counts of felony animal abuse after it is claimed he took the bird from an enclosure and allegedly tortured it in his hotel on the Strip, according to reports. CCTV footage allegedly shows the 33-year-old trespassing into the building’s Flamingo Wildlife Habitat and harming several birds at around 5am on Tuesday, March 3, Metro police said.
Mr Fairbarn was also reportedly filmed grabbing a Chilean flamingo called Peachy, wrapping it in his shirt and taking it in a lift up to his hotel room. He allegedly wrangled the animal by the neck and legs en-route to the room, and claimed he was trying to « pop » its wing back into place.
Officers later found a « large bloody feather » in his hotel room, with Peachy reportedly left needing stiches after a wing was « pulled » from its body.
Photos and videos recovered from the 33-year-old’s phone allegedly showed him choking the flamingo, throwing it on the floor and telling it that he was « taking [it] home », reports 8 News Now. Mr Fairburn was subsequently arrested and is facing four felony counts of torturing, maiming or killing an animal kept for companionship or pleasure.
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His bail was set at $12,000 (£9k) on Wednesday, March 4, with court officials ordering him to stay away from the Strip.
Caesars Entertainment Corp, which owns the Flamingo Hotel, called the incident « deeply distressing » in a statement following the arrest.
« 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, » a spokesperson said.
« We are hopeful they will make a full recovery. »
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