A Canadian tourist testified he drank up to 40 beers before stealing a flamingo from a Las Vegas casino habitat.
Mitchell Fairbarn, 34, took the stand Friday in Clark County to defend himself against two counts of animal cruelty. The married father of three from central Ontario told jurors he meant no harm to “Peachy,” the 27-year-old Chilean flamingo he allegedly snatched from the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in March.
Fairbarn said he had turned off his phone on March 2 for the first time in nine years, seeking to “let loose” after his father’s recent cancer diagnosis. Over the course of that day, he estimated he consumed between 30 and 40 beers while walking Las Vegas Boulevard and gambling.
At 5 a.m. The next morning, still drunk and sleep-deprived, Fairbarn turned his phone back on and made a Snapchat audio call to a work colleague. He then stopped at the flamingo habitat, entered the enclosure, and sat with one bird before deciding to grab Peachy.
Fairbarn testified he carried the flamingo to his hotel room for roughly two to three minutes, then placed the bird in a hallway. He was arrested while changing clothes, intending to return Peachy to the habitat.
“I thought it was something that we could joke about for the rest of our lives,” Fairbarn said on the stand.
His attorney pressed him on his intentions during the incident. “Did you ever, at any time, have any malicious intent or desire?” the lawyer asked. “Did you intend to kill?”
Fairbarn’s testimony came after the jury had already seen surveillance footage of him grabbing Peachy from the habitat. During cross-examination, he acknowledged the video “doesn’t look good” and told prosecutors he was “taking responsibility.” However, he maintained he had “no idea” how the flamingo sustained its injuries.
Veterinarian Dr. Tiffany Moore had previously testified that Peachy suffered seven to eight missing feathers, broken shafts, and blood loss consistent with trauma. The bird required antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and several weeks of pain medication to recover.
Fairbarn also told the court he has been on house arrest since the incident and has been unable to return to Canada. He noted he had traveled to Las Vegas for a global construction show.
Prosecutors are expected to deliver their closing statements on Monday.