Tourist, 34, downed 40 beers before stealing flamingo from Las Vegas hotel

Tourist, 34, downed 40 beers before stealing flamingo from Las Vegas hotel Mitchell Fairbarn, from Ontario, Canada, faces nearly five years in prison for snatching a flamingo from its enclosure at a Las Vegas hotel after drinking up to 40 beers A Canadian man who snatched a flamingo from a Las Vegas hotel after downing up to 40 beers has been found guilty of animal cruelty. Mitchell Fairbarn, 34, took the 27-year-old Chilean flamingo named Peachy from its habitat at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and carried it to his room on March 3. Footage played in court showed Peachy squawking as Fairbarn carried the bird by the neck in an elevator and along a hallway. Fairbarn, from Ontario, was convicted on Monday of felony and misdemeanour animal abuse charges. He faces up to four years in prison for the felony and possibly six more months for the misdemeanour. During his testimony, Fairbarn said he had drunk between 30 and 40 beers before the incident and insisted he had never intended to hurt the bird. Prosecutors, however, argued that he had wilfully caused the flamingo physical pain. When the flamingo was found, it was missing seven to eight feathers, had blood on its feathers and injuries to its wings, animal experts said. Peachy is physically fine but has been more anxious and nervous during evaluations since the incident, said the bird's vet, Tiffany Moore, medical director of Lone Mountain Animal Hospital. Fairbarn's lawyer, Josh Tomsheck, told jurors at trial in a Nevada court that the man deeply regretted the "bad decisions" he made while drunk. "He should not have done that, should not have gone into the habitat, shouldn’t have touched a bird, shouldn’t have taken Peachy inside," Tomsheck said. "The truth is, Mitch was drunk. Mitch was stupid. He made bad decisions." Fairbarn has been unable to leave the US since the incident and remains under house arrest pending a sentencing hearing set for December 1. Las Vegas police attended the scene after security staff reported someone had taken the flamingo. Nevada animal rights advocate John Waudby, who recently helped strengthen the state’s animal cruelty laws, said he believes justice was delivered on Peachy's behalf. "I hope this sends a message to anybody else that wants to mess with our animals, that you’re not going to do it in Nevada," he said outside the courtroom after Monday's verdict. The Flamingo is one of the oldest hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. Its well-known flamingo habitat also features hummingbirds, turtles, koi and other species.