A Canadian man has been arrested on animal abuse-related charges after allegedly grabbing and injuring flamingos at the Flamingo Las Vegas last week, according to an arrest report from Metro Police.
Authorities say they received an animal cruelty call around 6 a.m. Tuesday from the Flamingo Hotel and Casino after a man, Mitchell Fairbarn, had allegedly broken into the flamingo habitat and injured some of the birds.
Video surveillance obtained by authorities allegedly shows Fairbarn grabbing the first flamingo from the habitat around 5 a.m. Fairbarn is seen within frame again, grabbing a second flamingo around 5:07 a.m. and entering an elevator.
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Additional video and photos from Fairbarn’s cellphone allegedly show him choking the flamingo. The report states he can be seen laughing in the video and says ‘I’m taking it home’ as he walks back to his room.
Police talked to Fairbarn, who said he entered the habitat because he saw a flamingo in distress. He stated he “popped” the wing back into place, despite the various signs warning the public not to enter the habitat, according to the arrest report.
When Fairbarn pulled the wing out of the bird’s body, trying to “pop it back in,” he injured the wing, rupturing a blood supply of the animal, the report states. Authorities concluded that Fairbarn “willfully and maliciously severely injured a federally protected migratory species such as the flamingo.”
He was arrested and charged with four counts of willful/malicious/torture/maiming/killing of an animal. Fairburn is set to make an initial appearance in court on Monday.
As for the bird in question, the Scripps News Group in Las Vegas obtained the following statement from Caesars Entertainment:
<i>”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. </i> <i>Our beloved birds, including Peachy, who was cruelly taken from the habitat, are currently in the care of dedicated veterinarians and our extraordinary Flamingo animal care team. We remain hopeful they will make a full recovery. </i> <i>We are grateful to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and to our security and animal care teams for their swift response. We appreciate the outpouring of concern from our guests and the community, and we remain focused on supporting the continued recovery of these remarkable birds.”</i>This story was originally published by Stephanie Aceves and Guy Tannenbaum with the
Scripps News Group in Las Vegas.