LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A tourist faces charges after Las Vegas police said he stole a flamingo from the Flamingo hotel and took the bird back to his room, injuring it.

Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, of Ontario, Canada, faces four counts of felony animal abuse, according to court records.

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On Tuesday, March 3, Metro police received a call from the hotel about a man, later identified as Fairbarn, who allegedly broke into the property’s flamingo habitat and injured several birds, documents said.

Police reviewed surveillance footage, which they said showed Fairbarn entering the bird habitat around 5 a.m. and grabbing a bird named “Peachy.” Fairbarn also allegedly injured other animals in the process, including “pinning down” a second bird and “not letting it escape.” The video then shows Fairbarn returning to a hotel room with the animal, police said.

Fairbarn allegedly admitted to police that he trespassed into the bird habitat after seeing a flamingo in distress. He told police he “popped” the bird’s wing into place.

“He stated he knows that ‘popping’ the wing back into its place [is] a common practice for birds, such as ducks,” police said. “He has knowledge of his because he is a farm boy.”

On Fairbarn’s phone, police located “several photos and videos” of him with the animal, including him torturing it, police said. In one video, Fairbarn indicated he was taking the bird home.

Animal control advised Fairbarn injured the bird when he allegedly “pulled the wing out of the bird’s body,” police said. Several other birds were also injured.

Inside the hotel room, police located “a large bloody feather” along with other material, they said.

During a probable cause hearing on Wednesday, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Suzan Baucum set bail at $12,000, ordering Fairbarn to have no animals in his possession and to surrender his passport.

Baucum also ordered him to stay away from the Strip. Records show Fairbarn posted bond on Wednesday, though he remained listed at the Clark County Detention Center as of Wednesday afternoon.

On its website, Caesars Entertainment, which owns the Flamingo hotel, said, “the habitat is home to a flock of Chilean Flamingos, multiple species of exotic waterfowl, and Brown Pelicans.”

A spokesperson for Caesars provided this statement:

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.

We are grateful to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and to our security and animal care teams for their swift response. 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.

Fairbarn was scheduled to appear in court next on Monday, March 9.

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