Canadian tourist accused of taking flamingo from Las Vegas casino habitat testifies at animal cruelty trial

A 34-year-old Canadian man accused of removing a flamingo from its enclosure at a Las Vegas Strip casino testified in his own defense Friday, telling jurors he had been heavily drinking and meant the act as a joke, according to a KVVU/Gray News report carried by Live 5 News, WKYT, WABI and 1011 Now.

Mitchell Fairbarn, of Ontario, Canada, faces two counts of animal cruelty. He is accused of entering the flamingo habitat at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino around 5 a.m. on March 3, taking a bird named Peachy and bringing it to his hotel room. Police say security cameras recorded him climbing a fence to get into the enclosure, the report said.

The bird was injured. According to the report, Peachy's treating veterinarian testified that seven to eight feathers were missing, with broken shafts and blood loss she described as consistent with trauma, and that the flamingo required antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs and several weeks of pain medication.

Prosecutors began the trial by showing surveillance footage, photographs and Snapchat videos that, according to the report, depict Fairbarn laughing alongside two friends and holding the bird by its neck. The veterinarian testified that handling the bird that way was improper and could have killed it.

On the stand, Fairbarn said he had spent March 2 gambling and estimated he drank 30 to 40 beers. He said he was in Las Vegas for the ConExpo construction trade show as a representative from Canada, and that he arrived at the habitat drunk, short on sleep and talking on the phone.

He testified that he went in to look at a bird whose wings appeared uneven, acknowledging he should not have entered. He said he sat with a different flamingo before picking up Peachy as a "silly pranky joke" to take photos. He told the court he had the bird in his room for only a few minutes, placed it in the hallway, and was arrested while changing clothes to return it.

Fairbarn denied any intent to harm or kill the bird. Under cross-examination, he conceded the video looked bad and that Peachy had been hurt, saying, "I'm taking responsibility," but said he did not know how the feathers came out, the report said.

Fairbarn also described himself as a married father of three who runs an excavation business, grew up on farms and keeps dogs and a parrot. He said he remains under house arrest and has not been able to go back to Canada.

Jurors posed several questions to Fairbarn, including why he entered the exhibit. He answered that he initially went to see a bird he thought looked odd and that it became about making the trip funny.

Closing arguments were scheduled for Monday morning, followed by jury deliberations, according to the report.

Compiled by True News from reporting by Live 5 News, 1011 Now, WABI and WKYT. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/200