A Canadian man charged with harming a flamingo named Peachy at a Strip resort appeared in court Thursday.
Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, faces four counts of cruelty to animals. He appeared in front of District Court Judge Tara Clark Newberry where his attorney, Josh Tomsheck, asked for an approximate two-week delay in an arraignment.
Tomsheck told the judge he has met with prosecutors repeatedly regarding a possible negotiation to resolve the case for his client. He said he is awaiting more records and the delay was needed. The request was granted by the judge, with Fairbarn scheduled to return to court on June 23.
Police said that early on the morning of March 3, Fairbarn entered the flamingo habitat at the Flamingo and took a bird back to his room.
Peachy, the 27-year-old flamingo that was injured, is expected to recover, a veterinarian who treated her said.
The Metropolitan Police Department said in a report that Fairbarn’s cellphone contained photos and videos of him torturing a flamingo in his hotel room by choking it and throwing it to the floor while laughing. In one video, he choked a flamingo’s neck as the bird screamed and cried, records indicated.
“Fairbarn is seen laughing in the video and says ‘I’m taking it home’ as he walks back to his room,” police said in his arrest report.
He also clipped the wing of a bird he was chasing and trying to pin down in the habitat, causing the bird to suffer pain and require stitches, according to the report.
The case has garnered significant media attention. John Waudby, founder of the group Nevada Animal Advocates, was in court Thursday to monitor the progress in the case.
“Finally seeing Mitchell Fairbarn make an appearance,” Waudby said. “What he did was disgusting and despicable. There needs to be accountability for people who continue to harm our animals in our community.”
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
