Canadian tourist found guilty of animal cruelty after stealing Las Vegas flamingo from enclosure

Notably, a Canadian man has been discovered guilty of animal cruelty after he took a flamingo from its enclosure in Las Vegas and brought it back to his hotel room during an alcohol-fuelled bender.

Key points

• Mitchell Fairbarn, who was visiting the US city, took the Chilean flamingo named Peachy from the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in March.
• The Flamingo Las Vegas, located along the famous Las Vegas strip, features a wildlife habitat inside its hotel and casino that is free to walk through.
• During the trial, the jury heard from 14 witnesses and reviewed more than 112 pieces of evidence, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner.
• Testifying in his defence, Fairbarn, 34, remarked he thought it would be "funny" to take the bird.
• Videos shown at his trial indicated a smiling Fairbarn carrying the bird by the neck as he took a lift to his room.

Videos shown at his trial indicated a smiling Fairbarn carrying the bird by the neck as he took a lift to his room. He testified that he had drunk 30 to 40 beers before the incident and remarked he never meant to harm the animal. He faces almost five years in prison.

Animal experts testified the flamingo had feathers torn out and suffered blood loss due to Fairbarn's actions.

Notably, a lawyer for Fairbarn remarked his actions were intended as a harmless prank, and blamed alcohol for his "bad decisions".

"He should not have done that, should not have gone into the habitat, shouldn't have touched a bird, shouldn't have taken Peachy inside, " remarked his lawyer Josh Tomsheck, external.

"The truth is, Mitch was drunk. Mitch was stupid. He created bad decisions." His lawyer went on he had received death threats since his arrest.

He remarked he had been up drinking all night and had just gotten off a call with a colleague when he produced the decision to abscond with the bird.

Meanwhile, the Flamingo Las Vegas, located along the famous Las Vegas strip, features a wildlife habitat inside its hotel and casino that is free to walk through. It features a flock of Chilean flamingos, other birds, fish and turtles.

It took a jury around five hours to convict him on felony and misdemeanour animal abuse charges.

Fairbarn has been unable to leave the US since his arrest. He remains on house arrest in Las Vegas, with a sentencing hearing due to take place in December.

According to A veterinarian for the state, peachy has largely recovered since the event but has a now has a more anxious demeanour around humans.

For now, canadian tourist found guilty of animal cruelty after stealing Las Vegas flamingo remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.