Warning: This article contains discussion of animal cruelty which some readers may find distressing.
A Canadian tourist in Las Vegas has been arrested after allegedly taking a flamingo from a hotel.
Video that has circulated online appears to show a shirtless man carrying a flamingo inside an elevator and along a corridor, after he is alleged to have removed it from the Flamingo Hotel and Casino.
Hotel security staff later intercepted and detained him. They told police he had been inside the flamingo habitat for roughly eight minutes.
According to the footage, the man is seen climbing over the fence surrounding the enclosure, during which two of the six flamingos inside were injured.
The clip appears to show him trying to grab a bird named Peachy, taking hold of its legs and pinning it to the ground.
There are six flamingos housed at the habitat in total, with the others named Omega, Pitbull, Blackjack, Bugsy, and Bubbalicious.
Hotel staff have since said two birds suffered serious injuries, and that the outlook for one of them may be fatal.
A security officer said: “We went out to the habitat, and we were missing one, and two were seriously injured, in fact, one may not make it. Surveillance caught him jumping the fence.”
Security contacted emergency services, and a follow-up call at around 8am included a supervisor urging a response, saying: “He stole one of the flamingo birds. It’s kind of serious stuff.”
After his arrest, officers questioned the man about why he allegedly entered the enclosure and left with a bird. He reportedly gave an unexpected account of his motives.
He claimed he thought a flamingo looked injured and that he went in to help.
Speaking to 8 News Now, police said: “He stated he knows that ‘popping’ the wing back into its place (is) a common practice for birds, such as ducks.
“He has knowledge of this because he is a farm boy.”
Police also said that video recovered from the man’s phone allegedly shows the flamingo being tortured inside his hotel room.
An arrest report cited by KTNV alleges that when he attempted to “fix” the damaged wing, he instead pulled it from the bird’s body and ruptured its blood supply.
He is now facing four counts of wilful/malicious torture, maiming or killing of a ‘federally protected migratory species’.
During a court appearance, bail was set at $12,000 and was paid. The man was also ordered to wear a GPS monitor, have no animals, and surrender his passport. A further hearing has been scheduled for May 6.
Judge Harmony Letizia said: “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.”
Peachy is 27 years old. Flamingos can live up to 50 years in captivity, and Peachy is said to be recovering at Lone Mountain Animal Hospital.
Dr Tiffany Moore, medical director at the hospital, told KSNV: “When I saw Peachy, he was bright and alert and responsive, and he was stable, but there were some minor injuries to his wings.
“There were a couple blood feathers that were injured and we took care of that with pain meds to help support because it is painful, very similar to ripping off a fingernail.”
If you see an animal in distress and/or in need of help, call 911 if a crime is in progress. You can also visit a directory of animal abuse investigation agencies by state here.