Shocking photographs present Vegas resort’s flamingo being kidnapped and tortured by shirtless man, say cops
Shocking images show a shirtless tourist kidnapping a live flamingo from a Las Vegas resort before allegedly taking it back to his hotel room and torturing it, according to police.
Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, has been charged with four felony counts of animal cruelty following the alleged incident in the early hours of Tuesday, which was captured on surveillance cameras at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino and on images found on his phone.
Photos released by police show a topless Fairburn holding the bird, named Peachy, in the hotel elevator and later grabbing it by the neck in the doorway of a room.
In a statement, Caesars Entertainment, which owns the hotel, described the incident as “deeply distressing” and said it would be pursuing charges against Fairbarn “to the fullest extent possible.”
According to a police report obtained by FOX5 and other outlets, Fairbarn was detained by hotel security after breaking into the exotic birds’ habitat. Footage reportedly showed him grabbing one of the flamingos by the legs and dragging it twice to the ground.
Animal control, who also responded to the scene, said that Fairbarn had “pulled the wing out of the bird’s body” and injured several others, according to the report. After the first bird escaped, he allegedly chased others before grabbing one and wrapping it in a shirt.
Animal Protection Services said that one of the flamingo’s wings was clipped during the incident.
Photos then showed him holding in the elevator as he travelled to his room on the 14th floor, according to the report, and others provided by the department show him and another unidentified man wrestling with the distressed bird in the hallway.
Fairbarn could reportedly be heard laughing in the videos and saying, “I’m taking it home.” The flamingo could be heard screeching, police said, per KLAS.
The outlet reported that in a police interview, Fairbarn said he was drunk and claimed that he had seen the flamingo in distress and had attempted to “pop” its wing back into place – stating that he was a farm boy and wanted to do a good deed.
However, the report added he had no experience that would qualify him to help the animal in such a way, according to KLAS. After obtaining a search warrant for Fairbarn’s room, police reportedly found “a large bloody feather” alongside other materials.
In a statement, Caesars said: “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.
“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.”
The statement added: “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.”
On Wednesday, Fairbarn’s bail was set at $12,000, and a judge ordered him to have no animals in his possession. He was also ordered to surrender his passport.
Source: independent.co.uk
