A tourist who decided it would be funny to steal a flamingo during a drunken night out in Las Vegas has been found guilty of animal cruelty after taking the bird from its enclosure and carrying it back to his hotel room.

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Canadian visitor Mitchell Fairbarn, 34, was convicted after a bizarre incident involving a 27-year-old Chilean flamingo named Peachy at the famous Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, BBC News reports.

And while Fairbarn insisted he never intended to hurt the animal, his alcohol-fuelled antics could now see him spend several years behind bars.

The incident took place on March 3, when Fairbarn entered the wildlife habitat at the hotel, which is located on the iconic Las Vegas Strip.

The attraction is free for visitors to explore and houses a collection of animals, including flamingos, turtles, fish and other birds.

However, Fairbarn apparently decided that simply admiring the wildlife wasn’t enough.

After spending the night drinking, he entered the flamingo enclosure, grabbed Peachy and carried the bird into the hotel.

Security footage later shown to jurors captured the tourist smiling while holding the flamingo by its neck as he travelled in a lift towards his room, per The Guardian.

Additional footage showed him carrying the distressed bird along a hotel corridor.

The situation was far from harmless for Peachy, who was heard squawking as Fairbarn handled it.

When the flamingo was eventually located, authorities discovered that it had suffered injuries, including damage to its wings and the loss of several feathers.

Police were called after hotel security staff reported that somebody had removed a flamingo from the enclosure.

According to authorities, Peachy was missing approximately seven or eight feathers, with blood also visible on its plumage.

During the trial, animal experts testified that the bird had suffered blood loss and injuries as a result of Fairbarn’s actions.

Prosecutors argued that the tourist had deliberately caused Peachy physical pain, pointing to the bird’s distress and the feathers discovered on the hotel floor.

Fairbarn, however, maintained that hurting the animal had never been his intention.

Taking the stand in his own defence, the Canadian admitted that he thought bringing the flamingo back to his room would be “funny”.

He also revealed the extraordinary amount of alcohol he claimed to have consumed before making the decision.

According to his testimony, Fairbarn had drunk between 30 and 40 beers after staying awake drinking throughout the night.

He explained that he had recently finished a telephone conversation with a colleague when he decided to take the bird.

His defence lawyer, Josh Tomsheck, acknowledged that his client’s behaviour was completely unacceptable but argued that the incident was a drunken prank rather than an intentional attempt to harm an animal.

Addressing the court, Tomsheck said: “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,”

He added: “The truth is, Mitch was drunk. Mitch was stupid. He made bad decisions.”

The defence maintained that Fairbarn deeply regretted his actions, arguing that his intoxication had contributed to a series of reckless decisions.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, insisted that the physical harm suffered by Peachy could not be dismissed as an unfortunate consequence of a joke.

The trial saw jurors hear testimony from 14 witnesses and examine more than 112 pieces of evidence.

After approximately five hours of deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts on both felony and misdemeanour animal cruelty charges.

Fairbarn now faces a potential prison sentence of up to four years for the felony conviction, with an additional six months possible for the misdemeanour offence.

Following the verdict, he left the courtroom alongside his wife without commenting on the outcome.

He reportedly showed no visible emotion as the decision was delivered.

The case has also had significant consequences for Fairbarn outside the courtroom.

Since his arrest, he has been unable to leave the United States and remains under house arrest in Las Vegas while awaiting sentencing.

His lawyer revealed that he had received death threats following the incident.

The court also heard that Fairbarn had been unable to return home when his father died while he was awaiting trial.

Clark County prosecutor Haley Willming acknowledged those circumstances but argued that they were consequences of the choices Fairbarn had made.

She told the court: “none of that would have happened had he not done what he did, had he not made the choices he made”.

Fortunately, there has been some positive news concerning Peachy’s recovery.

Veterinarian Tiffany Moore, medical director of Lone Mountain Animal Hospital, confirmed that the flamingo had largely recovered from its physical injuries.

However, the ordeal appears to have had a lasting impact on the bird’s behaviour.

According to Moore, Peachy has become noticeably more anxious and nervous around humans during veterinary examinations.

The verdict has also been welcomed by animal welfare campaigners in Nevada.

John Waudby, an animal rights advocate who helped strengthen the state’s animal cruelty laws, expressed hope that the conviction would discourage others from mistreating animals.

Speaking outside the courtroom, he said: “I hope this sends a message to anybody else that wants to mess with our animals, that you’re not going to do it in Nevada,”

Fairbarn is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on December 1.

Featured image credit: LVMPD