A Canadian tourist accused of stealing a flamingo from a Las Vegas Strip hotel has insisted he had 'no malicious intent' when he took the bird to his room, describing the incident as a drunken prank after guzzling 30-40 beers.
asserted
he → accuse → beers
Mitchell Fairbairn, 34, testified in his own defense on Friday as his trial continued over the alleged theft and mistreatment of Peachy, a Chilean flamingo from the Flamingo Las Vegas hotel’s wildlife habitat.
asserted
trial → testify → habitat
Asked by his attorney whether he had ever intended to harm the bird, Fairbairn replied: ‘No.’
asserted
Fairbairn → ask → bird
He also denied having any intention to kill it.
asserted
He → deny → it
However, under cross-examination, the Ontario businessman acknowledged that video footage of the incident ‘doesn’t look good’ and conceded that Peachy had been hurt.
asserted
Peachy → acknowledge → incident
‘I’m taking responsibility,’ he told the court, while claiming he had ‘no idea’ how the bird had lost some of its feathers.
asserted
bird → take → feathers
Fairbairn who is married with three children, said he had travelled to Las Vegas to attend ConExpo, an international construction exhibition, where he had been asked to represent Canada.
asserted
he → say → Canada
He described growing up on farms, where he developed experience around animals.
asserted
he → describe → animals
He also told the court that he owns dogs and a parrot named Sonny and had previously rescued an abandoned llama and six ducks.
asserted
he → tell → llama
His trip to Nevada came after his father was tragically diagnosed with cancer in December 2025.
asserted
father → come → December
Fairbairn said he had been ‘on the fence about coming at all’.
asserted
he → say → fence
Mitchell Fairbairn, 34, took the stand in his animal cruelty trial and repeatedly denied he meant to hurt Peachy the Flamingo when he carried him to his hotel room March 3
The Ontario businessman claimed he drank between 30 and 40 beers before entering the Flamingo hotel’s wildlife habitat at around 5am and abducting a flamingo from a habitat at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas
He admitted the bird was hurt but insisted he did not know how it lost its feathers.
asserted
it → take → feathers
The Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, where the incident allegedly happened
In CCTV footage, a shirtless Fairbairn can be seen wrangling the bird by the neck and legs
He testified that he spent March 2 drinking and gambling, estimating he consumed between 30 and 40 beers before arriving at the Flamingo’s wildlife habitat at around 5am the following morning.
Drunk, sleep-deprived and on a phone call, he said he entered the enclosure after noticing a bird whose wings appeared uneven, although he acknowledged he should not have gone inside.
Fairbairn claimed he initially sat beside a different flamingo before picking up Peachy to take a photograph as part of what he called a ‘silly pranky joke’.
He said he carried the bird to his hotel room for ‘two or three minutes’ before leaving it in the hallway.
uncertain
he → happen → hallway
He was arrested while changing, he told the court, as he prepared to return the animal.
asserted
he → arrest → animal
Jurors questioned his explanation for entering the habitat, including how he could tell the bird’s wings were uneven if the flamingos were resting.
uncertain
flamingos → question → habitat
Fairbairn said one wing appeared higher than the other from where he was standing.
asserted
he → say → other
He also agreed that a flamingo sleeping with its head tucked beneath its wings could appear to have uneven wings.
uncertain
head → agree → wings
When asked whether he had noticed any injuries or blood on his shirt or the wall while handling Peachy, he answered: ‘No.’
asserted
he → ask → Peachy
He maintained that he had not seen anything wrong with the bird when he removed it from the enclosure.
asserted
he → maintain → enclosure
He confirmed that he walked through bushes while carrying the flamingo and said he removed his shirt to wrap around the bird as he left the habitat, explaining that he wanted to avoid startling the other flamingos.
asserted
he → confirm → flamingos
Police said they later found a 'large bloody feather' while animal control claims Peachy has suffered a wing injury due to the wing being 'pulled' from its body
He admitted the bird was hurt but insisted he did not know how it lost its feathers.
uncertain
it → say → feathers
Closing arguments are expected on Monday before the jury begins deliberations
In another exchange, a juror asked what Fairbairn would expect police to do if someone entered his farm and injured one of his animals.
asserted
someone → expect → animals
He said he would expect a proper investigation to establish whether the person who took the animal was responsible for harming it.
asserted
who → say → it
Asked whether being intoxicated excused hurting a person or an animal, he replied: ‘No.’
asserted
he → ask → person
Fairbairn also said he had been on house arrest since the incident and had been unable to return to Canada.
asserted
he → say → Canada
The case stems from the March 3 incident, when police allege Fairbairn entered the hotel’s wildlife habitat and removed Peachy.
asserted
Fairbairn → stem → Peachy
Investigators previously said surveillance footage showed him carrying the flamingo through the hotel wrapped in a shirt.
asserted
him → say → shirt
The tourist later admitted to trespassing into the flamingo habitat after seeing a bird in distress, and claimed that he had 'popped' the animal's wing into place.
asserted
he → admit → place
Police said: 'He stated he knows that 'popping' the wing back into its place [is] a common practice for birds, such as ducks.
asserted
popping → say → ducks
He has knowledge of his because he is a farm boy.'
asserted
he → have → his
Police also alleged that photographs and videos recovered from his phone showed him aggressively choking the bird and throwing it to the floor.
asserted
him → allege → floor
In one clip, he reportedly laughed while saying he was ‘taking the bird home’.
uncertain
he → laugh → bird
Investigators said they found a 'large bloody feather' in his hotel room, while animal control officials reported that Peachy suffered a wing injury requiring stitches.
asserted
Peachy → say → stitches
Authorities also alleged that other birds were injured during the incident.
asserted
birds → allege → incident
Fairbairn faces four felony counts relating to the alleged torture, maiming or killing of animals kept for companionship or pleasure.
asserted
Fairbairn → face → companionship
The allegations have yet to be resolved by the jury.
asserted
allegations → have → jury
Caesars Entertainment, which owns the Flamingo hotel, previously described the incident as ‘deeply distressing’, saying Peachy and the other birds were receiving care from veterinarians and the hotel’s animal care team.
asserted
Peachy → own → veterinarians
The trial is due to resume on Monday morning, when lawyers will deliver closing arguments before jurors begin deliberating.
asserted
jurors → resume → arguments
The Aporia
