A 34-year-old tourist from Ontario told a Las Vegas jury this week that he had an estimated 30 to 40 beers before he hopped a fence at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino and carried off a flamingo named Peachy. Mitchell Fairbarn described the March 3 incident as a “silly pranky joke,” saying he just wanted to see the bird he thought looked funny. Security footage and Snapchat clips shown in court captured him smiling and grabbing the flamingo by the neck around 5 a.m. with two friends.
The case turned serious fast. A veterinarian testified that Peachy lost seven to eight feathers, suffered broken feather shafts and blood loss, and required antibiotics and weeks of pain medication. Under cross-examination, Fairbarn said he is taking responsibility but claimed he has no idea how the feathers were lost, and acknowledged the video “doesn’t look good.” His defense has pointed to his farm upbringing and the animals he owns and has rescued, including dogs, a parrot, a llama and six ducks.
The jury submitted written questions to the defendant before the trial breaks, with closing arguments set for Monday. The case raises questions plenty of communities wrestle with, from wildlife etiquette to how far a prank can go before it becomes a crime. Have you ever witnessed a tourist crossing the line with local wildlife? Tell us on our Facebook page.
