A high-spirited Canadian tourist in Las Vegas decided to pull off a prank involving a flamingo at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino's bird habitat. The alleged hijinks took place months ago. (A real bird was the target, not a plastic replica!) Per Fox5, "Mitchell Fairbarn, 34, took the stand in his animal cruelty trial and repeatedly denied he meant to hurt Peachy the Flamingo when he carried him to his hotel room March 3."
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In fact,,the wild caper allegedly happened partly because Fairbarn was extremely drunk. He admitted in court that he downed approximately 30 to 40 beers at the time. Nevertheless, Fairbarn claimed that he never intended to harm the animal.
The tourist has been charged with a pair of animal cruelty counts, per The New York Post. Furthermore, he is under house arrest and has not yet been allowed to go back home to Canada.
Fairbarn Testified About His Background and Actions
In an attempt to defend and explain himself, Mitchell Fairbarn took the witness stand. He described his background and circumstances. Per the outlet, the married dad of three said in court that he cares about animals. "He said he grew up on farms, owns dogs and a parrot Sonny, and once rescued an abandoned llama and six ducks."
Fairbarn added that his father was diagnosed with cancer at the end of 2025.
On the day he allegedly nabbed Peachy from its Vegas Strip habitat, Mitchell Fairbarn said in the stand that he was drinking and gambling. By the time he got to the habitat, it was about 5 a.m. and he was supposedly inebriated and tired. Per the outlet, Fairbarn "grabbed Peachy as a 'silly pranky joke' to photograph, carried it to his room for 'two or three minutes,' put it in the hallway, and was arrested changing to return it."
He also acknowledged that being drunk was not an excuse for his behavior.
"Peachy" Sustained Some Injuries
According to a vet named Dr. Tiffany Moore who testified at Fairbarn's trial, the colorful creature did get hurt. Those injuries allegedly were caused when he took the bird. It had some missing feathers and blood loss. Peachy's treatment regimen included "antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and weeks of pain medicine" in order to recover, per The Post.
