Canadian Mitchell Fairbarn was arrested at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas early Tuesday on suspicion of multiple counts of animal cruelty. Officials received a call about the alleged abuse after a man reportedly broke into the flamingo habitat. CCTV footage shows Fairbarn entering the habitat around 5am and grabbing a Chilean flamingo named 'Peachy'.
As he tried to remove the bird, he injured multiple flamingos, including one he pinned down. The footage also depicts him holding the bird wrapped in a shirt, wrangling it by the neck and legs as he walks to his room. According to the police report, Fairbarn is seen laughing in the video and says 'I'm taking it home'.
Inside his hotel room, police found a large bloody feather and other material. Animal control reported that Peachy suffered a wing injury requiring stitches, and at least two other flamingos were injured. Fairbarn told police he entered the enclosure to help a distressed flamingo by attempting to pop its wing back into place, despite warning signs prohibiting access.
Authorities stated he willfully and maliciously injured a federally protected species. The arrest report noted Fairbarn had videos on his phone showing him torturing a flamingo in his room. He faces four counts of felony animal abuse, is due in court on Monday, March 9, and was ordered to stay away from the Las Vegas Strip after posting $12,000 bail.