In a “what the heck are you doing” moment, a Canadian tourist was arrested on Tuesday, March 3, after allegedly stealing and abusing pink flamingos at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.
Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, was arrested after security footage showed a man entering the hotel’s wildlife habitat display around 5:00 a.m., grabbing one of the Chilean flamingos and carrying the bird back to his room. During the encounter, Fairbarn had pinned down several other flamingos.
When detectives entered Fairbarn’s hotel room, they found the flamingo named Peachy and a “large bloody feather” along with other evidence of abuse.
Fairbarn told investigators he was actually helping Peachy because the bird had been in distress, and he had been trying to “pop its wing” back into the joint because he knew about this kind of injury having been a “farm boy.”
Peachy and the other flamingos are currently being treated and are expected to make complete recoveries.
A hotel spokesperson issued the following statement:
We are aware of the deeply distressing incident involving a guest who was arrested for breaking into our wildlife habitat and assaulting our flamingos. The safety and well-being of our iconic flock are of the utmost importance to us, and we will be pursuing charges against this individual to the fullest extent possible.
Fairbarn faces four felony counts of animal cruelty. His bail was set at $12,000, and he is scheduled to appear in court on March 9, 2026. The judge ordered Fairbarn to have no animals in his possession, to surrender his passport and to stay away from the Strip.
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