Nevada jury convicts man in flamingo cruelty case

A Nevada jury convicted Mitchell Fairbarn of felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty on October 19 over taking a flamingo from its habitat at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Fairbarn is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. The case concerned Peachy, a 27-year-old Chilean flamingo taken from the hotel habitat on March 3. Trial video showed Fairbarn carrying the bird through a hotel elevator and hallway. The verdict followed a trial in which prosecutors argued that Fairbarn willfully caused Peachy physical pain. Fairbarn testified that he had consumed between 30 and 40 beers and did not intend to hurt the bird. His attorney, Josh Tomsheck, described the act as foolish and driven by intoxication, while acknowledging that Fairbarn should not have entered the habitat or taken Peachy. The jury convicted him on the felony and misdemeanor counts. When Peachy was found, the bird was missing seven to eight feathers, had blood on its feathers and had wing injuries, according to accounts of testimony by animal experts. Veterinarian Tiffany Moore said Peachy was doing all right physically but had become more anxious and nervous during evaluations since the incident. The verdict...