MITCHELL FAIRBAIRN TESTIFIES IN FLAMINGO CRUELTY TRIAL

Mitchell Fairbairn told a Nevada court he drank between 30 and 40 beers before taking a flamingo named Peachy from the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The Canadian tourist gave evidence on Friday at his trial on two counts of animal cruelty arising from the 3 March incident. He said he entered the bird enclosure at about 5am and carried Peachy to his hotel room. Fairbairn called his actions a "silly pranky joke" and denied intending to harm or kill the bird.

Security camera footage showed Fairbairn climbing over a fence into the enclosure. He said he approached after noticing a bird whose wings looked "uneven". Fairbairn acknowledged that he knew he should not have entered, then sat beside one flamingo before picking up Peachy for a photograph. He said he wrapped Peachy in his shirt to protect the bird from waist-high hedges as he left.

Fairbairn said he kept Peachy in his room for "two or three minutes" before leaving the bird in a hallway. He said authorities arrested him shortly afterwards as he changed clothes to take Peachy back. Fairbairn, who owns an excavation business, had travelled from central Ontario for ConExpo, a construction trade show. He told the court he had considered missing the event after his father received a cancer diagnosis in December 2025. Testimony before the court described Peachy's injuries as severe.