Vegas tourist who took Peachy the flamingo from hotel exhibit is found guilty of animal cruelty
A Canadian tourist has been convicted of animal cruelty after stealing a flamingo named Peachy from a Las Vegas hotel exhibit. The defendant claimed the act was a drunken mistake, but the jury found him guilty of both felony and misdemeanor charges.
Why it matters
The case serves as a legal precedent for the treatment of animals in public exhibits and highlights the consequences of reckless behavior by tourists.
LAS VEGAS — A jury convicted a Canadian man of animal cruelty charges on Monday afternoon for snatching a flamingo named Peachy from its enclosure at an iconic Las Vegas hotel in what prosecutors called a drunken and malicious act. Prosecutors said tourist Mitchell Fairbarn harmed the bird at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino when he took it to his room on March 3. The man’s defense attorney had told jurors at trial in a Nevada court that the man committed a foolish act while intoxicated but intended no harm to the bird. Jurors returned convictions on felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty counts against the tourist from Ontario, Canada. Fairbarn remained in custody pending a Dec. 1 sentencing hearing. He faces up to four years in prison for the felony plus six months of jail time for the misdemeanor conviction.
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