David Charns
Mon, March 9, 2026 at 10:05 AM PDT
2 min read
Canadian tourist must remain in Las Vegas for alleged flamingo abuse
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Canadian tourist accused of stealing and torturing a flamingo at a Las Vegas Strip hotel must remain in the area as his criminal proceedings play out, a judge said Monday.
Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, of Ontario, Canada, faces four counts of felony animal abuse for allegedly injuring a bird at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on March 3.
An attorney appeared on Fairbarn’s behalf during his initial appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court on Monday morning. Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Harmony Letizia told Fairbarn’s attorney she expected Fairbarn to be present in her courtroom.
Police reviewed surveillance footage, which they said showed Fairbarn entering the bird habitat and grabbing a bird named “Peachy,” documents said. Fairbarn also allegedly injured other animals in the process, including “pinning down” a second bird and “not letting it escape.” The video then shows Fairbarn returning to a hotel room with the animal, police said.
Fairbarn allegedly admitted to police that he trespassed into the bird habitat after seeing a flamingo in distress. He told police he “popped” the bird’s wing into place.
On Fairbarn’s phone, police located “several photos and videos” of him with the animal, including him torturing it, police said. In one video, Fairbarn indicated he was taking the bird home.
The Las Vegas Justice Court redacted Fairbarn’s face in the photos and stills from the videos when fulfilling a public records request.
Animal control advised Fairbarn injured the bird when he allegedly “pulled the wing out of the bird’s body,” police said. Several other birds were also injured.
During a probable cause hearing after his arrest, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Suzan Baucum set bail at $12,000, ordering Fairbarn to have no animals in his possession and to surrender his passport. She also ordered him to wear a GPS monitor.
On Monday, Letizia warned Fairbarn’s attorney that she would send him to jail should he violate any terms of his release.
“If he has a single violation while he’s out on bail and electronic monitoring that was set by the judge in initial appearance court, he is going to be remanded without bail in this case,” she warned.
Fairbarn was scheduled to return to court on May 6.
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